Meerschaum Vale flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Meerschaum Vale
(Ballina, NSW) - 36.79 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
36.79 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Meerschaum Vale'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 Meerschaum Vale
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 26 Sep 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.
Meerschaum Vale at a glance
How Meerschaum Vale is zoned
Buying in Meerschaum Vale? 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 36.79 km², Meerschaum Vale is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 4 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 62,627 m² across 183 parcels.
Who lives in Meerschaum Vale
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Meerschaum Vale 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 1004, and decile 6 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Meerschaum Vale's 372 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Ballina Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Meerschaum Vale. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Meerschaum Vale itself.
14,963 in 2001 to 19,370 in 2025, up 29%.
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.
Meerschaum Vale 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 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 Meerschaum Vale 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 Meerschaum Vale lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Meerschaum Vale planning - frequently asked
Is Meerschaum Vale flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Meerschaum Vale and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 0%).
Is Meerschaum Vale bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Meerschaum Vale is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Ballina average of 68%.
Is Meerschaum Vale under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 1% of Meerschaum Vale in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 7,000 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 Meerschaum Vale?
The dominant planning zone in Meerschaum Vale is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Primary Production and Deferred Matter.
Does Meerschaum Vale have heritage-listed places?
Meerschaum Vale has 4 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Meerschaum Vale?
Across 183 surveyed parcels in Meerschaum Vale, the median lot size is about 62,627 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Meerschaum Vale have a train station?
There is no train station inside Meerschaum Vale itself. The suburb is served by 50 bus stops.
What is the population of Meerschaum Vale?
At the 2021 Census Meerschaum Vale had 372 usual residents, with a median age of 47 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Ballina Surrounds statistical area, which contains Meerschaum Vale, went from 14,963 people in 2001 to 19,370 in 2025, up 29%.
Is Meerschaum Vale an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Meerschaum Vale scores 1004 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 6 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Meerschaum Vale?
Median household income in Meerschaum Vale was $1,968 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,812 for the typical suburb in Ballina. Median rent was $435 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,582 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dalwood | 3.7 km | Not mapped | 54% |
| Wardell | 4.9 km | 0% | 91% |
| Marom Creek Lismore |
4.9 km | 70% | 30% |
| Coolgardie | 5.5 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Bagotville | 5.7 km | <1% | 99% |
| Rous Mill | 5.7 km | 0% | 60% |
| Rous | 7.0 km | Not mapped | 42% |
| Green Forest Lismore |
7.0 km | 99% | 39% |
| Lynwood | 7.1 km | Not mapped | 46% |
| Tuckurimba Lismore |
7.6 km | 74% | 16% |