Ashby flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Ashby (Clarence Valley, NSW) - 13.96 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Ashby's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Ashby

Two different things, kept apart on purpose. The ANEF contour is the planning instrument - a forecast published per airport that planning schemes use to control noise-sensitive development. Observed overflight is what a sampled aircraft-tracking feed actually recorded over the suburb - where aircraft flew, how low and how often.

Ashby at a glance

Parcels 243 Median lot 8,110 m² Mapped easements 6

How Ashby is zoned

Large Lot Residential 34%
Rural Landscape 23%
Environmental Management 17%
Recreational Waterways 14%
Primary Production 9%
Low Density Residential 2%

Buying in Ashby? The zoning, flood and bushfire lines on the section 10.7 certificate attached to the contract are mapped controls - see our s10.7 certificate guide.

Across its 13.96 km², Ashby is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 35% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 87% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 5 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Large Lot Residential. The median lot measures about 8,110 m² across 243 parcels.

Who lives in Ashby

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Ashby suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population
316
usual residents, 2021
Median age
61
years
Median household income
$1,113
per week, Clarence Valley suburb typical $1,187
Median rent
$350
per week, Clarence Valley suburb typical $300
Median mortgage
$1,300
per month
Household size
2.0
people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 6
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 990, and decile 5 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 6
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Ashby's 316 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 2.5%
5-14 7.4%
15-19 2.8%
20-24 4.0%
25-34 4.3%
35-44 6.8%
45-54 9.9%
55-64 22.6%
65-74 25.4%
75-84 13.0%
85+ 1.2%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Grafton Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Ashby. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Ashby itself.

14,917 in 2001 to 18,099 in 2025, up 21%.

Source: ABS Census 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (Suburbs and Localities), Regional Population (SA2), CC BY 4.0. Small counts are randomly adjusted by the ABS.

Ashby data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
ZoningMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)

Profile last materially updated 26 September 2026. See the methodology and full source list. Source data changes over time and critical decisions should be checked with the responsible authority.

Check a specific Ashby address

See exactly which overlays touch a single property - the interactive map is free. Need it on paper? A full planning PDF is just $9.

Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Ashby lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Ashby planning - frequently asked

Is Ashby flood-prone?

About 35% of Ashby falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 24%.

Is Ashby bushfire-prone?

Around 87% of Ashby is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Clarence Valley average of 94%.

Is Ashby under a flight path?

No aircraft were observed over Ashby in the period sampled (recent weeks to now). Sampling is intermittent, so that is a floor rather than proof that none fly over. Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously and flight paths change with runway use, weather and season; the ANEF contour is the planning instrument.

What is the zoning in Ashby?

The dominant planning zone in Ashby is Large Lot Residential, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Environmental Management.

Does Ashby have heritage-listed places?

Ashby has 5 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Ashby?

Across 243 surveyed parcels in Ashby, the median lot size is about 8,110 m². There are also 6 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

What is the population of Ashby?

At the 2021 Census Ashby had 316 usual residents, with a median age of 61 and an average household size of 2.0 people. The wider Grafton Surrounds statistical area, which contains Ashby, went from 14,917 people in 2001 to 18,099 in 2025, up 21%.

Is Ashby an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Ashby scores 990 and sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally and decile 5 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Ashby?

Median household income in Ashby was $1,113 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,187 for the typical suburb in Clarence Valley. Median rent was $350 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,300 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Ashby Island 2.6 km 100% 80%
Maclean 2.6 km 65% 61%
Townsend 4.3 km 46% 73%
Ilarwill 5.1 km 32% 97%
James Creek 5.5 km 56% 94%
Ashby Heights 6.1 km 13% 99%
Harwood 6.8 km 99% 80%
Warregah Island 6.9 km 100% 82%
Gulmarrad 7.7 km 30% 98%
South Arm 7.9 km 68% 96%

See all Clarence Valley suburb profiles →