Rous Mill flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Rous Mill
(Ballina, NSW) - 9.95 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
9.95 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Rous Mill'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 Rous Mill
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
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.
Rous Mill at a glance
How Rous Mill is zoned
Buying in Rous Mill? 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 9.95 km², Rous Mill is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 60% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 27,700 m² across 100 parcels.
Who lives in Rous Mill
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Rous Mill 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 1026, and decile 7 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Rous Mill's 204 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Ballina Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Rous Mill. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Rous Mill itself.
14,963 in 2001 to 19,370 in 2025, up 29%.
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.
Rous Mill 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 Rous Mill 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.
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 Rous Mill lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Rous Mill planning - frequently asked
Is Rous Mill flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Rous Mill and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 0%).
Is Rous Mill bushfire-prone?
Around 60% of Rous Mill is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Ballina average of 68%.
Is Rous Mill under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 23% of Rous Mill in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 6,500 ft. 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 Rous Mill?
The dominant planning zone in Rous Mill is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Deferred Matter and Environmental Conservation.
Does Rous Mill have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Rous Mill.
What is the typical lot size in Rous Mill?
Across 100 surveyed parcels in Rous Mill, the median lot size is about 27,700 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Rous Mill have a train station?
There is no train station inside Rous Mill itself. The suburb is served by 36 bus stops.
What is the population of Rous Mill?
At the 2021 Census Rous Mill had 204 usual residents, with a median age of 49 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Ballina Surrounds statistical area, which contains Rous Mill, went from 14,963 people in 2001 to 19,370 in 2025, up 29%.
Is Rous Mill an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Rous Mill scores 1026 and sits in decile 8 of 10 nationally and decile 7 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Rous Mill?
Median household income in Rous Mill was $1,562 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,812 for the typical suburb in Ballina. Median rent was $410 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,492 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rous | 3.1 km | Not mapped | 42% |
| Tregeagle Lismore |
3.4 km | 0% | 36% |
| Dalwood | 3.5 km | Not mapped | 54% |
| Marom Creek Lismore |
3.8 km | 70% | 30% |
| Meerschaum Vale | 5.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Lindendale Lismore |
5.8 km | Not mapped | 35% |
| Lynwood | 6.0 km | Not mapped | 46% |
| Wyrallah Lismore |
6.1 km | 28% | 15% |
| Chilcotts Grass Lismore |
6.4 km | Not mapped | 79% |
| Wollongbar | 7.1 km | Not mapped | 60% |