Mole River flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Mole River
(Tenterfield, NSW) - 371.84 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
371.84 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Mole River's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Mole River
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.
Mole River at a glance
How Mole River is zoned
Buying in Mole River? 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 371.84 km², Mole River 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 Primary Production. The median lot measures about 476,304 m² across 348 parcels.
Who lives in Mole River
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Mole River 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 938, and decile 3 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Mole River's 89 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Tenterfield, the wider ABS statistical area containing Mole River. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Mole River itself.
6,842 in 2001 to 7,188 in 2025, up 5%.
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.
Mole River 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 Mole River 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 Mole River lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Mole River planning - frequently asked
Is Mole River flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Mole River and less than 1% of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 1%).
Is Mole River bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Mole River is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Tenterfield average of 99%.
Is Mole River under a flight path?
No aircraft were observed over Mole River 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 Mole River?
The dominant planning zone in Mole River is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves.
Does Mole River have heritage-listed places?
Mole River has 4 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Mole River?
Across 348 surveyed parcels in Mole River, the median lot size is about 476,304 m². There are also 6 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Mole River?
At the 2021 Census Mole River had 89 usual residents, with a median age of 61 and an average household size of 1.7 people. The wider Tenterfield statistical area, which contains Mole River, went from 6,842 people in 2001 to 7,188 in 2025, up 5%.
Is Mole River an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Mole River scores 938 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 3 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Mole River?
Median household income in Mole River was $837 a week at the 2021 Census, against $833 for the typical suburb in Tenterfield.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodside | 7.8 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Silent Grove | 10.6 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Back Creek | 15.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Tarban | 18.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Torrington | 22.3 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Mingoola | 22.8 km | 12% | 100% |
| Bolivia | 24.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Dumaresq Valley | 26.9 km | 7% | 100% |
| Jennings | 27.1 km | 0% | 99% |
| Stannum | 27.5 km | Not mapped | 100% |