Manildra is a small town located halfway between

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower * Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum ...

and Parkes in

Cabonne Shire Cabonne Council is a local government area in the Central West region of New South Wales, Australia. The Shire is located adjacent to the Mitchell Highway and the Broken Hill railway line, partly surrounding the City of Orange. The administr ...

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, Australia. At the , Manildra had a population of 464.

Industries

Located on the banks of Mandagery Creek in the heart of a farming community, it is the home of th
Manildra Flour Mill
(largest in the Southern Hemisphere) which commenced in 1952 and has since expanded into the largest industrial wheat producer in Australia. The Manildra Flour Mill is owned by the

Manildra Group The Manildra Group is an Australian agribusiness based in Sydney. It was formed in 1952 when Jack Honan purchased a flour mill in Manildra. In 1966 a starch and gluten plant was established in Auburn. In the early 1970s, further starch plants ...

, who export to the world. The Manildra Royal Hotel (1912) is one of 3 pubs in the town.

History

The name Manildra is an aboriginal word meaning 'winding river'. It is said the town was called this because of Mandagery Creek, which winds around Manildra's east side. Manildra's

Amusu Theatre Amusu Theatre is a heritage-listed cinema and theatre at 17 Derowie Street, Manildra, Cabonne Shire, New South Wales, Australia. It was designed by Allan Tom and built in 1936 by Jim Fullerton. It is also known as Amusu Cinema. The property ...

(pronounced 'amuse you') is the oldest continually operating cinema in Australia. In 1923 Manildra businessman Allan Tom started a traveling picture show using a carbon arc projector carted on the back of a flatbed truck, screening

silent film A silent film is a film with no synchronized Sound recording and reproduction, recorded sound (or more generally, no audible dialogue). Though silent films convey narrative and emotion visually, various plot elements (such as a setting or era) ...

s to crowded halls and tents around central-west New South Wales. He later used a record player, adapted the projector for

sound film A sound film is a motion picture with synchronized sound, or sound technologically coupled to image, as opposed to a silent film. The first known public exhibition of projected sound films took place in Paris in 1900, but decades passed befo ...

s (talkies) and in 1936 established a permanent theatre building next door to his family's car mechanic garage, which is now a movie poster museum. Local resident Hubert McClelland (1932 - present) trialed with the

Rugby League Rugby league football, commonly known as just rugby league and sometimes football, footy, rugby or league, is a full-contact sport played by two teams of thirteen players on a rectangular field measuring 68 metres (75 yards) wide and 112 ...

teams St. George Dragons and

Canterbury Bulldogs The Canterbury-Bankstown Bulldogs are an Australian professional rugby league football club based in Belmore, a suburb in the Canterbury-Bankstown region of Sydney. They compete in the NRL Telstra Premiership, as well as competitions facilit ...

in the 1950's.

Heritage listings

Manildra has a number of heritage-listed sites, including: * 17 Derowie Street:

References

Towns in New South Wales Towns in the Central West (New South Wales) Cabonne Council {{CentralWestNSW-geo-stub