Step back in time: Discover the hidden gems in Penrith City

This is branded content for Penrith City Council.

In the rush of our busy lives it's easy to overlook some of the significant pieces of history all around us that reveal intriguing stories of the people and the events that shaped the communities we're part of.

But there are plenty of moves afoot to encourage people to take the time to discover these hidden heritage gems in ways that let you step back in time, literally.

Penrith City Council is working to make it easier to learn about the history of some of Sydney's most historically important areas with its growing collection of Heritage Walks that guide participants on a stroll into the past.

Using funds from the Australian Government Regional Bushfire Recovery Program aimed at encouraging people to visit the regions and towns affected by bushfires, the council has worked with local experts and the council's own Heritage Advisory Committee to launch two of the walks - one for St Marys and the other for Penrith - both with interactive maps that turn your smart phone into time machines.

One of the local history buffs consulted was Lynette Forde who's long been fascinated by the stories and history embedded into the community that she's been a part of for 77 years - St Marys.

Born and bred in the western Sydney suburb, Ms Forde is the seventh generation of her family to have lived there and she's become a warrior in the quest to keep its heritage alive.

President of the St Marys' Historical Society for more than 30 years "off and on" she's enthusiastically helped document the 220 years since European settlers arrived in the suburb that's played a key role in the development of greater Sydney.

She's written several books including one detailing St Marys' important tanning industry and another about the historically significant St Marys Magdalene Anglican Church, built on the highest point of the suburb with views to the Blue Mountains.

"I love St Marys," says Ms Forde, whose family tree features the names of prominent St Marys' citizens who helped build and support the town including Hackett, Thompson and Desborough.

"I was born here, went to school here and have so many wonderful memories, playing in the creek behind my grandmother's house and going to the butcher shop to get meat and have a gossip with Mavis, or taking our shoes to get fixed by Uncle Bert Desborough.

"It was just a small town when I was growing up in the late 40s and 50s when you knew everybody and you'd walk down the street and have a chat with everybody. Still when I walk around I pass pieces of that history that made St Marys such an important part of the development of Sydney."

The four kilometre St Marys Heritage Walk is the most recent to be launched, a tribute to the town's historical significance with an immersive journey into its development beginnings as a rich agricultural region, to innovative industrial powerhouse, and gateway to the Blue Mountains and beyond.

The 11 sites on the walk include much-loved public spaces such as Victoria Park, saved from development by a protest by passionate locals in 1875, and South Creek Park where you can admire the original Bennett Wagons, made by G and J Bennett, the legendary wagon builders who produced acclaimed heavy transport wagons in St Marys that were sold across Australia and the United States.

There are some of St Marys most opulent, and architecturally-significant homes built by the town's wealthiest citizens including Bronte House - built in the early 1890s for James Bennett of G and J Bennett, and Mimosa House - built in 1894 and originally owned by local businessman, Andrew Thompson, who established St Marys' most successful tanning company.

There are also significant landmarks like the St Mary Magdalene Anglican Church, which the suburb took its name from, and the St Marys Public School - two sites of special connection for Ms Forde.

"I went to school at St Marys Public School and I was baptised and married in St Marys Church, which is also where my grandmother was baptised," she said. "It's such an old church with so much interesting history."

Ms Forde praised the council's work to raise awareness of the rich local history and encourage people to explore it for themselves.

"My interest in history really only came when my grandmother passed away and I realised there were so many things I didn't know about my own family history and the history of St Marys," she said.

"Lots of people are time poor and don't really have the time to think about the history of these places but this walk is a really great way of finding out what it was like back then, exploring one of the most historical, connected suburbs in New South Wales."

To start exploring visit Penrith Heritage Walk and St Marys Heritage Walk. The St Marys & District Historical Society's office is located at The Chambers, one of the points on the St Marys Heritage walk, The Chambers Museum, which houses a treasure trove of historical information, is open to the public on Wednesdays and Saturdays from 10am to 1pm.