Manilla
Situated only 30 minutes drive north of Tamworth, Manilla offers all the charm of a small country town with the international recognition as one of the best aero sport destinations in the world.
The delightful drive out to Manilla ventures through the small township of Attunga offering a taste of nature. Based on the town's door-step is 874 hectares of Attunga State Forest with picnic spots and facilities offering many walking trails, allowing you to enjoy the bush surrounds or camp overnight.
As one of the greatest paragliding, sky sailing and hang-gliding sites, Manilla was selected to host the 2007 World Paragliding Championships. Mt Borah at Manilla also hosts the Australian Paragliding Championships each March and it is a thrilling experience for competitors and spectators alike. At Manilla Paragliding (located on Mount Borah), visitors can take Paragliding Licence Courses or Tandem flights.
Manilla also contributes to one of the best fossicking routes in New South Wales: The Fossickers Way. Try your hand at fossicking for gold and other precious metals in Manilla or at one of the many other areas outside the town.
A short drive away from the township of Manilla is two major water facilities, Split Rock Dam and Lake Keepit. Both dams offer excellent fishing and are great recreational areas for water sports; spend a weekend out at the dam with camping facilities available at both locations.
Manilla also provides visitors with the opportunity to get up close to one of Australia's favourite mammals; the platypus, with glimpses of our furry friend in the river almost every day. In the 1920's scientist Harry Burrell developed a breeding program to preserve and protect the fury friend and he later took his work to the USA. The work of Harry Burrell is on show at the Manilla Historical Museum and Visitor Information Centre.
Warrabah National Park is one of the State's few inland river parks and is spurs off Australia's Great Dividing Range. The park lies to the south of the rugged Nandewar Range, part of a belt of granite that extends 200 kilometres from Bendemeer north. The pools and rapids found within Warrabah National Park are excellent for swimming, fishing, canoeing plus bushwalking and there is always plenty of room for visitors.
