Tarro flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Tarro
(Newcastle, NSW) - 6.14 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 2 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
6.14 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Tarro'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 Tarro
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
typical observed square 1 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 2,000 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.
Tarro at a glance
How Tarro is zoned
Buying in Tarro? 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 6.14 km², Tarro is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 86% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 58% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 10 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 629 m² across 671 parcels.
Who lives in Tarro
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Tarro 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 870, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Tarro's 1,703 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Beresfield - Hexham, the wider ABS statistical area containing Tarro. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Tarro itself.
8,815 in 2001 to 8,732 in 2025, down 1%.
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.
Tarro 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 2 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 Tarro 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.
Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 51% of Tarro. 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 Tarro lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Tarro planning - frequently asked
Is Tarro flood-prone?
About 86% of Tarro falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 39%.
Is Tarro bushfire-prone?
Around 58% of Tarro is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Newcastle average of 24%.
Is Tarro under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 51% of Tarro, and over about 74% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 26 Sep 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 3,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. 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 Tarro?
The dominant planning zone in Tarro is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes Recreational Waterways and Low Density Residential.
Does Tarro have heritage-listed places?
Tarro has 10 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Tarro?
Across 671 surveyed parcels in Tarro, the median lot size is about 629 m². There are also 11 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Tarro have a train station?
Yes - Tarro has 1 train station: Tarro Station. It is also served by 24 bus stops.
What is the population of Tarro?
At the 2021 Census Tarro had 1,703 usual residents, with a median age of 45 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Beresfield - Hexham statistical area, which contains Tarro, went from 8,815 people in 2001 to 8,732 in 2025, down 1%.
Is Tarro an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Tarro scores 870 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Tarro?
Median household income in Tarro was $1,167 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,818 for the typical suburb in Newcastle. Median rent was $340 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,517 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woodberry Maitland |
2.2 km | 82% | 81% |
| Beresfield | 3.1 km | 24% | 38% |
| Hexham | 3.8 km | 97% | 89% |
| Thornton Maitland |
4.4 km | 23% | 70% |
| Black Hill Cessnock |
5.1 km | 22% | 94% |
| Lenaghan | 5.7 km | 56% | 100% |
| Tomago Port Stephens |
5.8 km | 73% | 77% |
| Millers Forest Maitland |
6.3 km | 97% | 95% |
| Heatherbrae Port Stephens |
6.6 km | 80% | 80% |
| Sandgate | 7.0 km | 59% | 42% |