Ruthven flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Ruthven
(Lismore, NSW) - 17.71 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
17.71 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Ruthven'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 Ruthven
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.
Ruthven at a glance
How Ruthven is zoned
Buying in Ruthven? 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 17.71 km², Ruthven is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 83% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 7% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 71,514 m² across 103 parcels.
Who lives in Ruthven
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Ruthven 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 963, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Ruthven's 114 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Lismore Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Ruthven. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Ruthven itself.
14,249 in 2001 to 16,160 in 2025, up 13%.
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.
Ruthven 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 Ruthven 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 Ruthven lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Ruthven planning - frequently asked
Is Ruthven flood-prone?
About 83% of Ruthven falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 46%.
Is Ruthven bushfire-prone?
Around 7% of Ruthven is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Lismore average of 33%.
Is Ruthven under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 2% of Ruthven 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 Ruthven?
The dominant planning zone in Ruthven is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Natural Waterways and Environmental Management.
Does Ruthven have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Ruthven.
What is the typical lot size in Ruthven?
Across 103 surveyed parcels in Ruthven, the median lot size is about 71,514 m².
What is the population of Ruthven?
At the 2021 Census Ruthven had 114 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.9 people. The wider Lismore Surrounds statistical area, which contains Ruthven, went from 14,249 people in 2001 to 16,160 in 2025, up 13%.
Is Ruthven an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Ruthven scores 963 and sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally and decile 4 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Ruthven?
Median household income in Ruthven was $2,208 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,458 for the typical suburb in Lismore. Median rent was $313 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,192 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Codrington Richmond Valley |
3.1 km | <1% | 100% |
| South Gundurimba | 4.0 km | 73% | 8% |
| Tucki Tucki | 4.9 km | 63% | 7% |
| Coraki Richmond Valley |
6.3 km | 34% | 60% |
| Tuckurimba | 6.6 km | 74% | 16% |
| Wyrallah | 7.1 km | 28% | 15% |
| Monaltrie | 9.0 km | 38% | 13% |
| Tatham Richmond Valley |
9.1 km | 9% | 91% |
| Marom Creek | 9.3 km | 70% | 30% |
| Mckees Hill | 9.9 km | 20% | 26% |