Merah North zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Merah North
(Narrabri, NSW) - 593.42 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 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
593.42 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 Merah North'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 Merah North
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 to
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.
Merah North at a glance
How Merah North is zoned
Buying in Merah North? 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 593.42 km², Merah North 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, 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 609,821 m² across 332 parcels.
Who lives in Merah North
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Merah North 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 1058, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Merah North's 129 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Narrabri Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Merah North. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Merah North itself.
5,721 in 2001 to 4,602 in 2025, down 20%.
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.
Merah North 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 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 Merah North 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 Merah North lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Merah North planning - frequently asked
Is Merah North flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Merah North, 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. Narrabri is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.
Is Merah North bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Merah North is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Narrabri average of 100%.
Is Merah North under a flight path?
No aircraft were observed over Merah North 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 Merah North?
The dominant planning zone in Merah North is Primary Production.
Does Merah North have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Merah North.
What is the typical lot size in Merah North?
Across 332 surveyed parcels in Merah North, the median lot size is about 609,821 m². There are also 8 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Merah North?
At the 2021 Census Merah North had 129 usual residents, with a median age of 36 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Narrabri Surrounds statistical area, which contains Merah North, went from 5,721 people in 2001 to 4,602 in 2025, down 20%.
Is Merah North an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Merah North scores 1058 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 Merah North?
Median household income in Merah North was $1,857 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,624 for the typical suburb in Narrabri. Median rent was $110 a week.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wee Waa | 20.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Drildool | 20.8 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Nowley | 25.0 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Boolcarroll | 26.4 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Cuttabri | 27.6 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Spring Plains | 28.8 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Burren Junction Walgett |
37.5 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Yarrie Lake | 38.6 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Pilliga Walgett |
41.2 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Jews Lagoon | 42.7 km | Not mapped | 100% |