Rocky River flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Rocky River
(Tenterfield, NSW) - 654.15 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
654.15 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Rocky River's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Rocky 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: observed, lowest 9,000 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.
Rocky River at a glance
How Rocky River is zoned
Buying in Rocky 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 654.15 km², Rocky 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 190 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 433,748 m² across 349 parcels.
Who lives in Rocky River
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Rocky 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 791, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Tenterfield, the wider ABS statistical area containing Rocky River. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Rocky 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.
Rocky 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 Rocky 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 Rocky River lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Rocky River planning - frequently asked
Is Rocky River flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Rocky River and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 1%).
Is Rocky River bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Rocky River is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Tenterfield average of 99%.
Is Rocky River under a flight path?
No aircraft were observed over Rocky 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 Rocky River?
The dominant planning zone in Rocky River is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Forestry.
Does Rocky River have heritage-listed places?
Rocky River has 190 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Rocky River?
Across 349 surveyed parcels in Rocky River, the median lot size is about 433,748 m².
Is Rocky River an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Rocky River scores 791 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Washpool Clarence Valley |
13.6 km | 0% | 100% |
| Timbarra | 15.5 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Forest Land | 16.8 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Collum Collum Clarence Valley |
18.9 km | 0% | 100% |
| Lionsville Clarence Valley |
19.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Ewingar Clarence Valley |
23.1 km | 0% | 100% |
| Dumbudgery Clarence Valley |
24.9 km | 0% | 100% |
| Bulldog Clarence Valley |
25.2 km | 0% | 100% |
| Sandy Flat | 25.9 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Sandy Hill | 27.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |