1789). Closer settlement of the area was made possible when in 1842 part of the O’Connell Estate was subdivided. St Marys has a long and rich industrial and agricultural history, including tanneries and munitions formerly operated by Australian Defence Industries. Mamre, situated on Mamre Road, was built c.1830 for Samuel Marsden. It is a two-storey Georgian home that is heritage-listed. Circa 1829–32, the Lethbridge family built Werrington House just north of St Marys. It was based on the family home in Cornwall. It is one of the most significant colonial homes in New South Wales and is heritage-listed. St Marys is now the home of the South Creek Vietnam Vets Association and the St Marys & District Historical Society Inc. Municipality of St Marys The Municipality of St Marys was proclaimed on 3 March 1890, and the election of the first council was held in May 1890. The council was amalgamated with the Municipality of Penrith on 1 January 1949. The first Mayor was William Garner, and the last mayor was J J Blair (1948). There is a branch office of the Penrith City Council on Queen Street along with a library. The St Marys & District Historical Society is open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10 am to 2 pm in the Community Centre complex located on Mamre Road on the southern side of the Great Western Highway. Heritage listings St Marys has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: Great Western Railway: St Marys railway station Demographics According to the 2016 census of Population, there were 12,195 people in St Marys. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made up 4.1% of the population. The most common ancestries were Australian 20.4%, English 20.0%, Irish 5.8%, Scottish 4.7% and Filipino 4.0% 60.2% of people were born in Australia. The next most common countries of birth were New Zealand 4.1%, Philippines 3.9%, India 3.2%, England 1.8% and Fiji 1.3%. 63.7% of people spoke only English at home. Other languages spoken at home included Tagalog 2.5%, Arabic 2.4%, Samoan 1.8%, Hindi 1.7% and Punjabi 1.3%. The most common responses for religion were Catholic 28.9%, No Religion 19.2% and Anglican 13.3%. Gallery Commercial area The main commercial area of St Marys, is primarily on Queen Street, with some shops along Railway Street, and the Great Western Highway. This area includes: St Marys Village Shopping Centre St Marys Village Shopping Centre is