Palmvale flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Palmvale
(Tweed, NSW) - 6.31 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
6.31 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Palmvale'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 Palmvale
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
typical observed square 1 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 1,500 ft - night is sampled as often as day, but night traffic is light, so this is a floor and no rate can be put on it.
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.
Palmvale at a glance
How Palmvale is zoned
Buying in Palmvale? 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 6.31 km², Palmvale is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 1% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 130,569 m² across 27 parcels.
Who lives in Palmvale
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Palmvale 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 968, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Palmvale's 95 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Murwillumbah Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Palmvale. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Palmvale itself.
8,963 in 2001 to 10,835 in 2025, up 21%.
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.
Palmvale 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 Palmvale 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.
Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 74% of Palmvale. 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 Palmvale lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Palmvale planning - frequently asked
Is Palmvale flood-prone?
About 1% of Palmvale falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 29%.
Is Palmvale bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Palmvale is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Tweed average of 91%.
Is Palmvale under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 74% of Palmvale, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 26 Sep 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 2,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. 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 Palmvale?
The dominant planning zone in Palmvale is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Deferred Matter and National Parks and Nature Reserves.
Does Palmvale have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Palmvale.
What is the typical lot size in Palmvale?
Across 27 surveyed parcels in Palmvale, the median lot size is about 130,569 m².
What is the population of Palmvale?
At the 2021 Census Palmvale had 95 usual residents, with a median age of 39 and an average household size of 3.1 people. The wider Murwillumbah Surrounds statistical area, which contains Palmvale, went from 8,963 people in 2001 to 10,835 in 2025, up 21%.
Is Palmvale an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Palmvale scores 968 and sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally and decile 4 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Palmvale?
Median household income in Palmvale was $1,724 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,394 for the typical suburb in Tweed. Median rent was $300 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,400 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reserve Creek | 2.4 km | 20% | 100% |
| Wardrop Valley | 3.1 km | 2% | 100% |
| Cudgera Creek | 3.4 km | 26% | 100% |
| Clothiers Creek | 4.4 km | 27% | 98% |
| Kielvale | 5.2 km | 32% | 99% |
| Sleepy Hollow | 5.8 km | 20% | 100% |
| Round Mountain | 5.9 km | 40% | 100% |
| Farrants Hill | 6.1 km | <1% | 98% |
| Tanglewood | 6.2 km | 53% | 100% |
| Nunderi | 6.3 km | 44% | 93% |