Manilla vs Rushes Creek

In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. Houses cost more in Rushes Creek: a median of $505,000, against $395,000 in Manilla, though rent is higher in Manilla. On these figures, Manilla tends to suit buyers on a tighter budget, while Rushes Creek suits couples.

Which one suits you?

There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.

Families with school-age kids

Manilla

ahead on 3 of the 6 things we measure here

  • has more parks and reserves (8 vs 0)
  • has more childcare (3 vs 0)
  • has more schools inside the suburb (2 vs 0)
  • But Rushes Creek carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 82/100)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Manilla

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves households under less mortgage stress (25% vs 37%)
  • has cheaper houses ($395,000 vs $505,000)

Weighs house prices and mortgage stress.

Renters

Rushes Creek

ahead on 2 of the 2 things we measure here

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (15% vs 26%)
  • has cheaper rent ($190/wk vs $260/wk)

Weighs rent and rental stress.

Commuting to the city

Manilla

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
  • sits closer to the CBD (453.2 km vs 470.3 km)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

Manilla

ahead on 3 of the 5 things we measure here

  • is more walkable (8/100 vs 0/100)
  • has more GPs (3 vs 0)
  • has more residents already 65 and over (28% vs 20%)
  • But Rushes Creek carries lower crime risk (21/100 vs 82/100)

Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Manilla and Rushes Creek drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Manilla Rushes Creek
Hides rows where both suburbs match

Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.

Side by side, out of 100

Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.

Manilla Rushes Creek
Walkability 8 / 0
Manilla — Walkability: 8/100 Rushes Creek — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 18 / 79
Manilla — Safety: 18/100 Rushes Creek — Safety: 79/100
Low fire risk 69 / 67
Manilla — Low fire risk: 69/100 Rushes Creek — Low fire risk: 67/100

Demographics

Manilla has more residents (2,386 vs 98); Manilla rents higher ($260/wk vs $190/wk).

Manilla Rushes Creek
Population 2,386
+96% vs other
 98
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -6.4% -7.5%
Median age 48
same for both
Median household income $51,688/yr $66,612/yr
+29% vs other
Median weekly rent $260/wk
+27% vs other
 $190/wk

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Manilla Rushes Creek
0-4 4.9% / 5.1%
Manilla — 0-4: 4.9% Rushes Creek — 0-4: 5.1%
5-14 11.5% / 12.2%
Manilla — 5-14: 11.5% Rushes Creek — 5-14: 12.2%
15-19 5.4% / 6.1%
Manilla — 15-19: 5.4% Rushes Creek — 15-19: 6.1%
20-24 4.9% / —
Manilla — 20-24: 4.9% Rushes Creek — 20-24: not among its largest
25-34 9.1% / 9.2%
Manilla — 25-34: 9.1% Rushes Creek — 25-34: 9.2%
35-44 9.5% / 4.1%
Manilla — 35-44: 9.5% Rushes Creek — 35-44: 4.1%
45-54 11.9% / 14.3%
Manilla — 45-54: 11.9% Rushes Creek — 45-54: 14.3%
55-64 13.9% / 25.5%
Manilla — 55-64: 13.9% Rushes Creek — 55-64: 25.5%
65-74 15.9% / 13.3%
Manilla — 65-74: 15.9% Rushes Creek — 65-74: 13.3%
75-84 9.5% / 4.1%
Manilla — 75-84: 9.5% Rushes Creek — 75-84: 4.1%
85+ 3.0% / 3.1%
Manilla — 85+: 3.0% Rushes Creek — 85+: 3.1%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (25.5%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Manilla 45.2% lone person
Manilla — Lone Person: 45.2% Manilla — Couple Families: 24.3% Manilla — One Parent Families: 23.9% Manilla — Group Household: 3.8% Manilla — Other Families: 2.7%
Rushes Creek 50.0% lone person
Rushes Creek — Lone Person: 50.0% Rushes Creek — Couple Families: 50.0% Rushes Creek — One Parent Families: 0.0% Rushes Creek — Group Household: 0.0% Rushes Creek — Other Families: 0.0%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household Other Families

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Manilla 27.3% renting
Manilla — Owned Outright: 45.1% Manilla — Mortgage: 27.6% Manilla — Renting: 27.3%
Rushes Creek 0.0% renting
Rushes Creek — Owned Outright: 75.0% Rushes Creek — Mortgage: 25.0% Rushes Creek — Renting: 0.0%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Manilla 94.6% houses
Manilla — Houses: 94.6% Manilla — Flats / Apartments: 1.6% Manilla — Townhouses: 3.9%
Rushes Creek 90.2% houses
Rushes Creek — Houses: 90.2% Rushes Creek — Flats / Apartments: 9.8% Rushes Creek — Townhouses: 0.0%
Houses Flats / Apartments Townhouses

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Manilla Rushes Creek
Certificate III & IV 16.5% / 13.3%
Manilla — Certificate III & IV: 16.5% Rushes Creek — Certificate III & IV: 13.3%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 5.0% / 10.2%
Manilla — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 5.0% Rushes Creek — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 10.2%
Bachelor Degree 4.5% / —
Manilla — Bachelor Degree: 4.5% Rushes Creek — Bachelor Degree: not among its largest
Postgraduate Degree 1.1% / —
Manilla — Postgraduate Degree: 1.1% Rushes Creek — Postgraduate Degree: not among its largest
Graduate Diploma / Certificate 0.5% / —
Manilla — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: 0.5% Rushes Creek — Graduate Diploma / Certificate: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.5%).

Property market

Manilla Rushes Creek
Median house price $395,000 $505,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price $639,500 —
Typical days to sell (houses) 44 days
from 23 sales
 —

Zoning mix

Manilla Rushes Creek
Rural and farming 94% 100%
Residential 5% 0%
Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09.

Development activity

Manilla Rushes Creek
New dwellings approved 390
across Tamworth
same for both
Approvals change year on year -35%
same for both

Gross rental yield

Gross — before strata, rates, management, insurance and vacancy. From median advertised rents and median asking prices over the last 6 months. How we calculate.

Manilla Rushes Creek
Houses 4.8%
$490/wk on $532K
 —
Units —
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Manilla Rushes Creek
House price Higher than 11% of NSW Higher than 16% of NSW
Income Higher than 12% of NSW Higher than 29% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 54% of NSW Higher than 32% of NSW
Affordability Higher than 79% of NSW Higher than 81% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 5% of NSW
same for both
NBN connectivity Higher than 68% of NSW Higher than 40% of NSW
Rental yield (houses) Higher than 95% of NSW —

Liveability

Manilla is more walkable (8 vs 0).

Manilla Rushes Creek
Grade D —
Score 16/100 —
Socio-economic band high-need area
decile 1/10
 advantaged area
decile 8/10

Risk profile

Manilla carries more crime risk (82 vs 21).

Manilla Rushes Creek
Bushfire Low
31/100
 Low
33/100
Crime High
82/100
 Low
21/100
Flood Not mapped
no mapped data here
same for both
Coastal erosion None
0/100
same for both
Aircraft noise None
0/100
same for both
Industrial facilities nearby 0
within 5 km
same for both

Schools

Manilla Rushes Creek
Inside the suburb 2 0
Rated above peers 1 0
Rated at peers 1 0
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Manilla

  • Manilla Central School Government · Combined above peers
  • St Michael's Catholic Primary School Catholic · Primary at peers

Schools in Rushes Creek

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Amenities in the suburb

Manilla Rushes Creek
Cafes & restaurants 3 0
Parks & reserves 8 0
Childcare 3 0
GPs 3 0
Pharmacies 1 0
Hospitals 1 0
Police stations 1 0
Banks & Bank@Post 2 0
Fuel stations 2 0
Waterways 1 2

Mobility

Rushes Creek sits further from the CBD (470.3 km vs 453.2 km).

Manilla Rushes Creek
Walkability score 8/100 0/100
Distance to Sydney 453.2 km 470.3 km
+4% vs other
Drive time (normal traffic) 333 min 330 min
Electric vehicle share 0.1%
postcode 2346
same for both
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 50
postcode 2346
same for both

How people get to work

Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.

Manilla Rushes Creek
Car (driver) 79.4% / 46.9%
Manilla — Car (driver): 79.4% Rushes Creek — Car (driver): 46.9%
Worked from Home 9.2% / 38.8%
Manilla — Worked from Home: 9.2% Rushes Creek — Worked from Home: 38.8%
Walked Only 4.9% / 8.2%
Manilla — Walked Only: 4.9% Rushes Creek — Walked Only: 8.2%
Bus — / 6.1%
Manilla — Bus: not among its largest Rushes Creek — Bus: 6.1%
Car (passenger) 6.0% / —
Manilla — Car (passenger): 6.0% Rushes Creek — Car (passenger): not among its largest
Bicycle 0.6% / —
Manilla — Bicycle: 0.6% Rushes Creek — Bicycle: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (79.4%).

Setting

Manilla Rushes Creek
Elevation 370 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 397 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Manilla Rushes Creek
Connectivity score 54/100 27/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless
same for both
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 22%
1,263 premises
 0%
36 premises

Climate

Manilla Rushes Creek
Annual rainfall 679 mm 626 mm
Summer max (Jan) 32.0°C 32.8°C
Winter min (Jul) 0.9°C 6.0°C

Council rates

Manilla Rushes Creek
Average residential rate $1,397/yr
same for both
Council Tamworth
same for both

Federal electorate

Manilla Rushes Creek
Division New England
same for both
Member Barnaby Joyce
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Manilla Rushes Creek
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Manilla

Acreage Affordable Retirees

Rushes Creek

Affordable Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Manilla

Manilla vs Halls Creek Manilla vs Upper Manilla Manilla vs Namoi River Manilla vs New Mexico Manilla vs Klori

Other comparisons with Rushes Creek

Rushes Creek vs Carroll Rushes Creek vs Somerton Rushes Creek vs Orange Grove Rushes Creek vs New Mexico Rushes Creek vs Klori
Full data on Manilla Full data on Rushes Creek
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Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.

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