Ruby Creek flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Ruby Creek (Tenterfield, NSW) - 29.12 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.

Planning schematicRuby Creek

Constraint readout

29.12 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.

Flood overlay 0%

below council avg (1%) · #9 of 24 mapped council suburbs

Bushfire-prone 100%

≈ council avg (99%) · #34 of 41 mapped council suburbs

Environmental0%

below council avg (10%) · #21 of 41 in council

Heritage sites 0 Mostly Primary Production Bushfire 34th most affected of 41 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Ruby Creek'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 Ruby Creek

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

Under observed aircraft

15%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

7,500 ft

averaging 8,500 ft

How often

not established

aircraft were seen, but not often enough to put a rate on

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.

Ruby Creek at a glance

Parcels 69 Median lot 113,024 m²

How Ruby Creek is zoned

Primary Production 100%

Buying in Ruby Creek? 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 29.12 km², Ruby Creek 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. The dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 113,024 m² across 69 parcels.

Who lives in Ruby Creek

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Ruby Creek suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median household income

$1,291

per week, Tenterfield suburb typical $833

Median rent

$340

per week, Tenterfield suburb typical $213

Median mortgage

$1,142

per month

Household size

2.4

people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 3

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 945, and decile 3 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 3

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Ruby Creek's 65 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 0.0%

5-14 7.6%

15-19 6.1%

20-24 0.0%

25-34 0.0%

35-44 4.5%

45-54 18.2%

55-64 28.8%

65-74 25.8%

75-84 9.1%

85+ 0.0%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Tenterfield, the wider ABS statistical area containing Ruby Creek. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Ruby Creek 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.

Ruby Creek 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 Ruby Creek 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 Ruby Creek lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Ruby Creek planning - frequently asked

Is Ruby Creek flood-prone?

Flood mapping covers Ruby Creek and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 1%).

Is Ruby Creek bushfire-prone?

Around 100% of Ruby Creek is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Tenterfield average of 99%.

Is Ruby Creek under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed over about 15% of Ruby Creek in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 7,500 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 Ruby Creek?

The dominant planning zone in Ruby Creek is Primary Production.

Does Ruby Creek have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within Ruby Creek.

What is the typical lot size in Ruby Creek?

Across 69 surveyed parcels in Ruby Creek, the median lot size is about 113,024 m².

What is the population of Ruby Creek?

At the 2021 Census Ruby Creek had 65 usual residents, with a median age of 58 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Tenterfield statistical area, which contains Ruby Creek, went from 6,842 people in 2001 to 7,188 in 2025, up 5%.

Is Ruby Creek an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Ruby Creek scores 945 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 Ruby Creek?

Median household income in Ruby Creek was $1,291 a week at the 2021 Census, against $833 for the typical suburb in Tenterfield. Median rent was $340 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,142 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Amosfield	5.8 km	0%	100%
Liston	8.5 km	Not mapped	100%
Maryland	11.2 km	0%	100%
Cottonvale	12.3 km	<1%	80%
Willsons Downfall	14.0 km	0%	100%
Undercliffe	16.6 km	Not mapped	100%
Wylie Creek	17.6 km	Not mapped	100%
Bookookoorara	19.2 km	0%	100%
Cullendore	21.6 km	0%	100%
Carrolls Creek	23.9 km	0%	100%

See all Tenterfield suburb profiles →