Manilla, New South Wales
Encyclopedia
New South Wales
New South Wales is a state of :Australia, located in the east of the country. It is bordered by Queensland, Victoria and South Australia to the north, south and west respectively. To the east, the state is bordered by the Tasman Sea, which forms part of the Pacific Ocean. New South Wales...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, located on Fossickers Way
Fossickers Way
Fossickers Way runs from Nundle in the south to Warialda and eastwards on the Gwydir Highway to Inverell and Glen Innes on the Northern Tablelands. It is designated as State Route 95....
45 kilometres northwest of the regional city of Tamworth
Tamworth, New South Wales
Tamworth is a city in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. Straddling the Peel River, Tamworth, which contains an estimated population of 47,595 people, is the major regional centre for southern New England and in the local government area of Tamworth Regional Council. The city...
. At the 2006 census
Census in Australia
The Australian census is administered once every five years by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. The most recent census was conducted on 9 August 2011; the next will be conducted in 2016. Prior to the introduction of regular censuses in 1961, they had also been run in 1901, 1911, 1921, 1933,...
, Manilla had a population of 2,081 people. Manilla is famous for its setting as a fishing and paragliding
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...
area. The name Manilla comes from the Gamilaraay language, and is said to mean 'winding river'.
Manilla was established in the 1850s at the junction of the Namoi River
Namoi River
The Namoi River is a major tributary of the Darling River in inland New South Wales, Australia.- Course :The headwaters of the Namoi, including the Macdonald River, the Peel River, the Cockburn River and the Manilla River, rise on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range on the Northern...
and the Manilla River
Manilla River
The Manilla River is a tributary of the Namoi River in northern New South Wales, Australia. Despite the name, it is officially classified as a stream by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales....
. It was formerly the centre of Manilla Shire Local Government Area, but this was amalgamated with Tamworth City Council and portions of Parry, Barraba and Nundle Shire Councils to form Tamworth Regional Council
Tamworth Regional Council
Tamworth Regional Council is a Local Government Area in the New England region of New South Wales, Australia. It is on the New England Highway and the Main North railway line.- Incomes :According to the during 2003-04, there:...
in 2004. It lies next to the Bundarra-Barraba Important Bird Area
Bundarra-Barraba Important Bird Area
The Bundarra-Barraba Important Bird Area lies in the Northern Tablelands of north-eastern New South Wales, Australia. It is important for the conservation of the endangered Regent Honeyeater and is classified as an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International.-Description:The 3500 km2 IBA...
which is important for the conservation of the endangered Regent Honeyeater
Regent Honeyeater
The Regent Honeyeater, Xanthomyza phrygia, is an endangered bird endemic to Australia. It feeds on nectar and insects within eucalyptus forests. Recent genetic research suggests it is closely related to the wattlebirds.-Distribution:...
. Manilla is also well known for Split Rock Dam
Split Rock Dam
Split Rock Dam and Split Rock Reservoir lie between the New South Wales towns of Barraba to the north and Manilla to the south. It is reached by a turnoff from Fossickers Way....
on the Manilla River
Manilla River
The Manilla River is a tributary of the Namoi River in northern New South Wales, Australia. Despite the name, it is officially classified as a stream by the Geographical Names Board of New South Wales....
and Lake Keepit on the Namoi River
Namoi River
The Namoi River is a major tributary of the Darling River in inland New South Wales, Australia.- Course :The headwaters of the Namoi, including the Macdonald River, the Peel River, the Cockburn River and the Manilla River, rise on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range on the Northern...
.
History
The junction of the Manilla and Namoi Rivers was for generations, a camping ground for the local indigenous people, members of the large KamilaroiKamilaroi
The Kamilaroi or Gamilaraay are an Indigenous Australian people who are from the area between Tamworth and Goondiwindi, and west to Narrabri, Walgett and Lightning Ridge, in northern New South Wales...
(Gamilaraay) tribes of northwestern New South Wales. During the 1850s, teamsters with bullock waggons were regularly transporting goods from the Hunter District through the Manilla area to outlying cattle stations and the northern goldfield settlements of Bingara and Bundarra. Teams were often delayed at the junction of the Namoi and Manilla Rivers by high water. In 1853, enterprising Englishman George Veness arrived at ‘The Junction’ to setup a store and wine shop at the teamsters’ camping ground. In doing so, Veness led the way to town settlement and is acknowledged as the Founder of Manilla. The town's early prosperity was founded on the highly productive wheat and pastoral industries.
Manilla also features a new library centre. Located within the Tamworth Regional Council office in the main street of Manilla, the library is a new type of facility which is known globally as a convergence centre. This means there are many facilities on offer including Centrelink, the Manilla Book Club and weekly Storytime for children.
Paragliding
In recent years, Manilla has become famous throughout the world as a major sports flying centre supporting hang gliding, paraglidingParagliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure...
, ultralight aircraft and gliders. Major free-flight competitions are staged annually during the summer months. The 10th FAI Paragliding World Championships were held at the site, attended by 150 pilots from 41 nations.
Notable residents
Henry BurrellHenry Burrell
Henry James Burrell was an Australian naturalist who specialised in the study of monotremes. He was the first person to successfully keep the Platypus in captivity and was a lifelong collector of specimens and contributor of journal articles on monotremes.-Biography:Henry James Burrell was born at...
1873-1945 - During the early 1900s Harry Burrell, amateur naturalist, photographer & film-maker, began unlocking the secrets of the Platypus
Platypus
The platypus is a semi-aquatic mammal endemic to eastern Australia, including Tasmania. Together with the four species of echidna, it is one of the five extant species of monotremes, the only mammals that lay eggs instead of giving birth to live young...
. In 1927 he published his findings in his book, "The Platypus". It was the result of around 30 years of research carried out along the Manilla, Namoi & MacDonald Rivers on the biology & life habits of one of the world's most fascinating creatures.
Fiona Coote
Fiona Coote
Fiona Coote was the second, youngest and first female in Australia to undergo a heart transplant. The procedure was performed by notable Chinese-Australian cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr Victor Chang and was successfully carried out on in April 1984, when Coote was 14 years of age...
born 1970 - In 1984 Fiona Coote aged 14, became Australia's second and also its youngest heart transplant recipient. Fiona underwent a second transplant operation in January 1986. Her surgeon Doctor Victor Chang
Victor Chang
Victor Peter Chang, AC , was a Chinese Australian cardiac surgeon and a pioneer of modern heart transplantation. Born in Shanghai to Australian-born Chinese parents, he grew up in Hong Kong before moving to Australia...
, was murdered in 1991.
Dally Messenger
Dally Messenger
Herbert Henry "Dally" Messenger was an Australian rugby union and rugby league footballer, recognised as one of the greatest ever players in either code. Messenger, or 'The Master' as he was dubbed, represented his country in both rugby football codes, playing two rugby union tests and seven...
1883-1959 - Rugby league
Rugby league
Rugby league football, usually called rugby league, is a full contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular grass field. One of the two codes of rugby football, it originated in England in 1895 by a split from Rugby Football Union over paying players...
great, played rugby union
Rugby union
Rugby union, often simply referred to as rugby, is a full contact team sport which originated in England in the early 19th century. One of the two codes of rugby football, it is based on running with the ball in hand...
in Sydney from 1900, later moving over to the new game of rugby league around 1907. Played 56 games for Eastern Suburbs 1908 and 1910-13. He came to Manilla in 1917 and held the licence of The Royal Hotel. During that time he introduced the game of rugby league to local footballers and was instrumental in the foundation of Manilla Rugby League Club.
John Quayle, former Australian Rugby League
Australian Rugby League
The Australian Rugby League is the governing body for the sport of rugby league in Australia. It is made up of state bodies, including the New South Wales Rugby League and the Queensland Rugby League...
boss, began playing football with Manilla Rugby League Club as a boy, playing all his junior football with the local club. He rose through the ranks of all grades and joined Sydney's Eastern Suburbs team in 1968. In 1975 he was selected to play for Australia in the World Cup
Rugby League World Cup
The Rugby League World Cup is an international rugby league competition contested by members of the Rugby League International Federation . It has been held nearly once every 4 years on average since its inaugural tournament in France in 1954...
, held that year in New Zealand. He became head of the Australian Rugby League organisation in the mid-1980s. In 1997, John Quayle joined the Sydney Olympic Organising Committee (SOCOG) as General Manager of Precincts & Venue Operations.
Harry M. Miller
Harry M. Miller
-Early career:Born in New Zealand, Miller grew up in Grey Lynn, Auckland, and moved to Australia in 1963, where he established a company called Pan Pacific Productions with Keith and Dennis Wong, owners of the noted Sydney nightclub "Chequers"...
, entrepreneur, bought the Manilla property "Dunmore" in the 1970s and with the purchase of pedigree German Simmental cattle
Simmental Cattle
Simmental cattle are a versatile breed of cattle originating in the valley of the Simme river, in the Bernese Oberland of western Switzerland.-European origin:...
from New Zealand, made "Dunmore" the largest producer of the breed in Australia.
External links
- More History - Manilla Museum Website
- 2007 FAI PG World Championships - Event Website
- Harry BurrellHenry BurrellHenry James Burrell was an Australian naturalist who specialised in the study of monotremes. He was the first person to successfully keep the Platypus in captivity and was a lifelong collector of specimens and contributor of journal articles on monotremes.-Biography:Henry James Burrell was born at...
- Manilla's Platypus Man - H. (Dally) MessengerDally MessengerHerbert Henry "Dally" Messenger was an Australian rugby union and rugby league footballer, recognised as one of the greatest ever players in either code. Messenger, or 'The Master' as he was dubbed, represented his country in both rugby football codes, playing two rugby union tests and seven...
- Biography - RL1908 - The Founding of Rugby League in Australia & New Zealand
- Doctor Chang's Legacy - The work of the Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute
- Paragliding Incident - BBC News report
- Manilla Anglican Church - Anglican Parish of Manilla