Another major landowner in the district was John Oxley who was the N.S.W. Surveyor General. His land stretched from today's Queen St., between the Western Highway and approximately where the railway line is and east to Ropes Creek (Todays Oxley Park). Oxley lived at Camden and was keen to sell his South Creek property. He died in 1828 while Phillip Parker King was away at sea. When King returned he bought the Oxley property. Mrs Anna Josepha King chose the highest part of this property for the site of the church and her son donated 2 acres of land for this purpose. He chose the name of the church where he had married Harriet for the name of the new church. The village of South Creek later became the township of St Marys (named after the church). Mrs Anna Josepha King, Admiral Phillip Parker King, Harriet Lethbridge King, Robert Lethbridge and Mary King Lethbridge abd dozens of their descendents are buried in the graveyard behind the church. In 1988 the memorial tablet from Governor King's grave in England was brought to St Marys and placed alonside those of his family.
The bricks used to build St Mary Madalene Church were made by John Payne from the clay from South Creek at "Dunheved".