Rushforth flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Rushforth
(Clarence Valley, NSW) - 35.08 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
35.08 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Rushforth'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 Rushforth
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.
Rushforth at a glance
How Rushforth is zoned
Buying in Rushforth? 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 35.08 km², Rushforth 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 is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 100,976 m² across 191 parcels.
Who lives in Rushforth
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Rushforth 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 955, and decile 3 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Rushforth's 285 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Grafton Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Rushforth. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Rushforth itself.
14,917 in 2001 to 18,099 in 2025, up 21%.
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.
Rushforth 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 Rushforth 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 Rushforth lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Rushforth planning - frequently asked
Is Rushforth flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Rushforth and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 24%).
Is Rushforth bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Rushforth is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Clarence Valley average of 94%.
Is Rushforth under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 4% of Rushforth in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 8,500 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 Rushforth?
The dominant planning zone in Rushforth is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Natural Waterways and Primary Production.
Does Rushforth have heritage-listed places?
Rushforth has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Rushforth?
Across 191 surveyed parcels in Rushforth, the median lot size is about 100,976 m². There are also 3 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Rushforth have a train station?
There is no train station inside Rushforth itself. The suburb is served by 14 bus stops.
What is the population of Rushforth?
At the 2021 Census Rushforth had 285 usual residents, with a median age of 47 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Grafton Surrounds statistical area, which contains Rushforth, went from 14,917 people in 2001 to 18,099 in 2025, up 21%.
Is Rushforth an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Rushforth scores 955 and sits in decile 4 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 Rushforth?
Median household income in Rushforth was $1,524 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,187 for the typical suburb in Clarence Valley. Median rent was $420 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,515 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elland | 4.6 km | 0% | 99% |
| Shannondale | 5.9 km | 0% | 100% |
| Southampton | 6.1 km | 27% | 100% |
| Waterview Heights | 6.6 km | 7% | 98% |
| South Grafton | 8.2 km | 23% | 66% |
| Waterview | 8.4 km | 92% | 91% |
| Carrs Island | 9.8 km | 100% | 77% |
| Grafton | 10.7 km | 91% | 10% |
| Levenstrath | 11.2 km | 0% | 100% |
| Bom Bom | 11.6 km | 0% | 100% |