Mcleans Ridges flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Mcleans Ridges
(Ballina, NSW) - 14.3 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is moderately constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
14.3 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Mcleans Ridges's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Mcleans Ridges
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.
Mcleans Ridges at a glance
How Mcleans Ridges is zoned
Buying in Mcleans Ridges? 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 14.3 km², Mcleans Ridges is moderately constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 32% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 12,542 m² across 290 parcels.
Who lives in Mcleans Ridges
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Mcleans Ridges 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 1071, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Mcleans Ridges's 808 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Lismore Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Mcleans Ridges. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Mcleans Ridges itself.
14,249 in 2001 to 16,160 in 2025, up 13%.
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.
Mcleans Ridges data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | 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 Mcleans Ridges 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.
The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Mcleans Ridges lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Mcleans Ridges planning - frequently asked
Is Mcleans Ridges flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Mcleans Ridges and less than 1% of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 0%).
Is Mcleans Ridges bushfire-prone?
Around 32% of Mcleans Ridges is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Ballina average of 68%.
Is Mcleans Ridges under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 24% of Mcleans Ridges in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 5,500 ft. 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 Mcleans Ridges?
The dominant planning zone in Mcleans Ridges is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Large Lot Residential and Deferred Matter.
Does Mcleans Ridges have heritage-listed places?
Mcleans Ridges has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Mcleans Ridges?
Across 290 surveyed parcels in Mcleans Ridges, the median lot size is about 12,542 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Mcleans Ridges have a train station?
There is no train station inside Mcleans Ridges itself. The suburb is served by 73 bus stops.
What is the population of Mcleans Ridges?
At the 2021 Census Mcleans Ridges had 808 usual residents, with a median age of 45 and an average household size of 2.9 people. The wider Lismore Surrounds statistical area, which contains Mcleans Ridges, went from 14,249 people in 2001 to 16,160 in 2025, up 13%.
Is Mcleans Ridges an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Mcleans Ridges scores 1071 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Mcleans Ridges?
Median household income in Mcleans Ridges was $2,305 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,812 for the typical suburb in Ballina. Median rent was $400 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,167 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boat Harbour Lismore |
3.3 km | 48% | 5% |
| Wollongbar | 3.3 km | Not mapped | 60% |
| Eltham Lismore |
3.6 km | 10% | 16% |
| Alstonvale | 4.3 km | Not mapped | 57% |
| Lindendale Lismore |
5.0 km | Not mapped | 35% |
| Richmond Hill Lismore |
5.4 km | 30% | 28% |
| Bexhill Lismore |
5.8 km | 43% | 8% |
| Pearces Creek | 6.0 km | 1% | 59% |
| Booyong Byron |
6.5 km | 20% | 90% |
| Tuckombil | 6.6 km | Not mapped | 57% |