Manilla is a small town north of Tamworth, set where the Manilla River meets the Namoi. On paper it looks like another quiet New England service town. In practice it has one strong identity: the flying country around Mount Borah, one of Australia's best-known hang-gliding and paragliding sites.
That air-sports identity gives Manilla more pull than its size suggests. Pilots come for thermals, big skies, and cross-country flights over open farmland, while non-flyers can still make a good day from the Manilla Heritage Museum, the railway bridge and viaduct, and the riverside weir.
The best reasons to linger are outside town. Split Rock Dam has fishing, boating, camping, and wide inland-water views, while Warrabah National Park protects a rugged Namoi River gorge. Manilla is not polished, but if you are already in the Tamworth area with a spare day, it has enough sky, water, and granite country to beat another hour in a cafe.