Riverside flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Riverside
(Port Macquarie-Hastings, NSW) - 14.33 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
14.33 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Riverside'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 Riverside
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
typical observed square 2 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 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.
Riverside at a glance
How Riverside is zoned
Buying in Riverside? 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 14.33 km², Riverside is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 74% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 78% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 776 m² across 226 parcels.
Who lives in Riverside
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Riverside 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 1006, and decile 6 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Riverside's 298 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Port Macquarie Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Riverside. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Riverside itself.
5,244 in 2001 to 5,331 in 2025, up 2%.
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.
Riverside 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 Riverside 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 98% of Riverside. 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 Riverside lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Riverside planning - frequently asked
Is Riverside flood-prone?
About 74% of Riverside falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 36%.
Is Riverside bushfire-prone?
Around 78% of Riverside is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Port Macquarie-Hastings average of 93%.
Is Riverside under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 98% of Riverside, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 1,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 44 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 Riverside?
The dominant planning zone in Riverside is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Natural Waterways.
Does Riverside have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Riverside.
What is the typical lot size in Riverside?
Across 226 surveyed parcels in Riverside, the median lot size is about 776 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Riverside?
At the 2021 Census Riverside had 298 usual residents, with a median age of 53 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Port Macquarie Surrounds statistical area, which contains Riverside, went from 5,244 people in 2001 to 5,331 in 2025, up 2%.
Is Riverside an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Riverside scores 1006 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 Riverside?
Median household income in Riverside was $1,461 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,381 for the typical suburb in Port Macquarie-Hastings. Median rent was $415 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,647 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Shore | 3.2 km | 90% | 88% |
| Blackmans Point | 3.6 km | 86% | 87% |
| Fernbank Creek | 4.1 km | 87% | 91% |
| The Hatch | 6.4 km | 89% | 99% |
| Limeburners Creek | 7.0 km | 74% | 99% |
| Thrumster | 7.7 km | 35% | 86% |
| Port Macquarie | 7.9 km | 38% | 52% |
| Rawdon Island | 8.1 km | 95% | 82% |
| Hacks Ferry | 8.3 km | 100% | 98% |
| Sancrox | 8.8 km | 33% | 92% |