Manilla, NSW
By Lauren McCaleb · Reviewed by Dylan Duncan ·
Manilla is a town in the New England region of northern New South Wales, about 45 kilometres north-west of Tamworth, at the meeting of the Namoi and Manilla rivers. Its name comes from the Gamilaraay (Kamilaroi) word Maneela, said to mean 'meeting of the rivers'. The town was established in the 1850s as a stop for teamsters carting goods through the district, and still serves the surrounding farms. Manilla is best known today for flying: nearby Mount Borah is rated among the world's finest launch sites for paragliding and hang-gliding, and hosted a world championship in 2007. The lakes behind Split Rock Dam and at nearby Lake Keepit draw anglers and water-sports visitors.
Among Australia's less advantaged suburbs
Manilla is more socio-economically advantaged than about 4% of the 14,462 Australian suburbs we score, based on the ABS SEIFA index (raw score 853, where about 1000 is the national average).
A socio-economic measure from ABS Census data — not a measure of how good a suburb is to live in or visit. How we calculate this.
Manilla at a glance
- Population (2021)
- 2,386
- Median age
- 48
- Median weekly household income
- $994
- SEIFA score
- 853
- Coordinates
- -30.7347, 150.7112
Manilla demographics (2021 Census)
The figures below profile Manilla using the Australian Bureau of Statistics 2021 Census; every percentage is a share of a clearly stated Census count, so each one traces back to the source. At a glance, the largest age group is seniors (65+) at 29%, 26% of homes are rented, and 6% of residents were born overseas.
Age profile
| Age group | People | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Children (0–14) | 390 | 16% |
| Youth (15–24) | 246 | 10% |
| Young adults (25–44) | 443 | 19% |
| Mid-life (45–64) | 617 | 26% |
| Seniors (65+) | 677 | 29% |
Share of the 2,373 people counted by age.
Housing and households
| Tenure | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Owned outright | 414 | 43% |
| Owned with a mortgage | 253 | 26% |
| Rented | 250 | 26% |
| Dwelling type | Dwellings | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Houses | 903 | 94% |
| Townhouses & semis | 37 | 4% |
| Flats & apartments | 0 | 0% |
Tenure and dwelling shares are of the roughly 959 occupied private dwellings in Manilla.
- Median weekly rent
- $260
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,083
- Average household size
- 2.2 people
- Median weekly family income
- $1,309
- Median weekly personal income
- $533
Community and culture
- Born overseas
- 125 (6%)
- Speaks a language other than English at home
- 38 (2%)
- Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander
- 402 (17%)
Work and education
- Completed Year 12
- 550 (28%)
- Labour-force participation
- 44.9%
- Unemployment rate
- 5.4%
- Employed full-time
- 483
- Employed part-time
- 314
Source: ABS Census of Population and Housing, 2021 (General Community Profile, by Suburb and Locality). © Australian Bureau of Statistics, released under CC BY 4.0. How we group bands and derive each share is set out on our methodology page.
Common questions about Manilla
Where is Manilla?
Manilla is a suburb of New South Wales, Australia.
What is the population of Manilla?
At the 2021 Census, Manilla had a population of about 2,386.
Is Manilla an advantaged area?
Manilla has an ABS SEIFA score of 853, where about 1000 is the national average — higher scores indicate greater relative socio-economic advantage. That gives it a Suburb Score of 4 out of 100 — more socio-economically advantaged than about 4% of Australian suburbs.
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