Penrith residents hiring a community hall or sportsground can now inspect the venue from their couch, with immersive fly-through visuals part of a new online booking system launched on 6 August.
The system at mybookings.penrith.city covers the council’s 250 bookable spaces, including community centres, sports facilities and Ripples aquatic venues. Users see real-time availability, submit enquiries, upload documents and make secure payments without visiting a council office. Each listing packs in photos, accessibility details, parking information, amenities and WiFi availability.
Penrith Mayor Todd Carney said the upgrade was about cutting friction for a growing city. “We’re always looking for smarter and simpler ways for our community to connect with Council services,” Cr Carney said. “This new system makes booking faster and more convenient, giving our community an easier way to access the many venues and sporting facilities we have right here in Penrith.”
For clubs and casual hirers, the shift ends years of manual processes. Seasonal organisers are directed straight to the portal, while one-off bookings are completed entirely online. The platform splits into two streams: a general venue portal at mybookings.penrith.city, and a dedicated aquatic portal for Ripples pools and spaces.
Council first flagged the plan in November 2023, targeting roughly 250 bookable spaces to modernise outdated hiring paperwork. The July 2025 launch of the MyPenrith online services hub laid the foundation, and the August 2026 booking module completes the digital upgrade. It aligns with Penrith’s 2025-29 Delivery Program, which prioritises accessible, efficient council services amid rapid population growth in Western Sydney.
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Penrith City Council
Penrith City Council is the local government authority for the Penrith Local Government Area in Western Sydney, NSW. It manages community facilities, parks, roads and services for a growing population. The council is known for initiatives improving digital access and liveability.
The fly-through visuals are a standout: selected venues now offer a virtual tour that goes beyond static photos. It’s a feature not always standard in NSW council booking portals and gives Penrith a practical edge for anyone weighing up which hall to hire.
If you’re booking a sportsground or hall, head to mybookings.penrith.city. For Ripples aquatic spaces, use mybookings.penrith.city/Aquaticportal. The entire process is digital: no phone calls, no paper forms, just real-time availability and instant confirmations.
For a growing city where every basketball court and scout hall is in demand, the digital upgrade might just be the booking that saves a club from being left out.