Rufus flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Rufus
(Wentworth, NSW) - 1551.16 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 23 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
1551.16 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Rufus's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Rufus at a glance
How Rufus is zoned
Buying in Rufus? 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 1551.16 km², Rufus is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 1% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 91% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 20 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 673,464 m² across 231 parcels.
Who lives in Rufus
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Rufus 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 992, and decile 5 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Wentworth-Balranald Region, the wider ABS statistical area containing Rufus. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Rufus itself.
4,321 in 2001 to 3,725 in 2025, down 14%.
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.
Rufus 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 | Not watched | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 23 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 Rufus 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 Rufus lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Rufus planning - frequently asked
Is Rufus flood-prone?
About 1% of Rufus falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 13%.
Is Rufus bushfire-prone?
Around 91% of Rufus is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wentworth average of 73%.
What is the zoning in Rufus?
The dominant planning zone in Rufus is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Forestry and Environmental Conservation.
Does Rufus have heritage-listed places?
Rufus has 20 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Rufus?
Across 231 surveyed parcels in Rufus, the median lot size is about 673,464 m².
Is Rufus an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Rufus scores 992 and sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally and decile 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pine Camp | 37.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Anabranch South | 43.0 km | <1% | 99% |
| Pomona | 53.4 km | 3% | 3% |
| Curlwaa | 62.2 km | 41% | 44% |
| Dareton | 67.5 km | 55% | 2% |
| Wentworth | 69.2 km | 8% | 96% |
| Ellerslie | 69.3 km | 0% | 58% |
| Coomealla | 73.8 km | 9% | 68% |
| Boeill Creek | 74.4 km | 95% | 71% |
| Mourquong | 80.3 km | 15% | 57% |