Dorrigo zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Dorrigo
(Bellingen, NSW) - 40.5 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
40.5 km² - this suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Dorrigo's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Dorrigo
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.
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026
Night movements: not established - night is sampled as often as day, but too few night flights have been seen here to conclude either way.
Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously, so every figure is a floor: aircraft not captured between samples are not represented. Rates are per 500 m square - the busiest square in the suburb, not a count of flights over the suburb - and a square is only rated where enough traffic was seen to measure it. Altitudes are above mean sea level. Flight paths change with runway use, weather, season and airspace design. This is a record of observed traffic; it is not a noise contour and not a planning control.
Dorrigo at a glance
How Dorrigo is zoned
Buying in Dorrigo? 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 40.5 km², Dorrigo is highly constrained by the planning overlays we hold. We hold no flood mapping covering this suburb, so no flood figure is shown - that is a gap in our data, not an all-clear. Of what is mapped, 95% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 76 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 1,075 m² across 1,065 parcels.
Who lives in Dorrigo
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Dorrigo suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.
Socio-economic standing
ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.
Score 931, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Dorrigo's 1,214 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Dorrigo, the wider ABS statistical area containing Dorrigo. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Dorrigo itself.
3,473 in 2001 to 3,250 in 2025, down 6%.
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.
Dorrigo data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Not mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Zoning | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence |
| Observed flight paths | Observed | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 3 October 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 Dorrigo 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 Dorrigo lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Dorrigo planning - frequently asked
Is Dorrigo flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Dorrigo, so this page can't say how much of the suburb is flood-affected - that is a gap in our data, not an indication that the suburb is free of flood risk. Bellingen is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.
Is Dorrigo bushfire-prone?
Around 95% of Dorrigo is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Bellingen average of 98%.
Is Dorrigo under a flight path?
No aircraft were observed over Dorrigo in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). 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 Dorrigo?
The dominant planning zone in Dorrigo is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and General Residential.
Does Dorrigo have heritage-listed places?
Dorrigo has 76 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Dorrigo?
Across 1,065 surveyed parcels in Dorrigo, the median lot size is about 1,075 m². There are also 10 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Dorrigo?
At the 2021 Census Dorrigo had 1,214 usual residents, with a median age of 56 and an average household size of 2.0 people. The wider Dorrigo statistical area, which contains Dorrigo, went from 3,473 people in 2001 to 3,250 in 2025, down 6%.
Is Dorrigo an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Dorrigo scores 931 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Dorrigo?
Median household income in Dorrigo was $925 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,268 for the typical suburb in Bellingen. Median rent was $300 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,300 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bielsdown Hills | 5.7 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Dorrigo Mountain | 6.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Fernbrook | 6.8 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| North Dorrigo | 7.2 km | 0% | 99% |
| Tallowwood Ridge | 8.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Megan | 9.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Bostobrick | 10.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Never Never | 12.3 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Darkwood | 12.5 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Moonpar Clarence Valley |
13.0 km | 0% | 100% |