Upper Main Arm zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Upper Main Arm
(Byron, NSW) - 16.84 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
16.84 km² - this suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Upper Main Arm's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Upper Main Arm
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: 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.
Upper Main Arm at a glance
How Upper Main Arm is zoned
Buying in Upper Main Arm? 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 16.84 km², Upper Main Arm is highly constrained by the planning overlays we hold. We hold no flood mapping covering this suburb, so no flood figure is shown - that is a gap in our data, not an all-clear. Of what is mapped, 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 9 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 22,721 m² across 110 parcels.
Who lives in Upper Main Arm
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Upper Main Arm 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 964, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Upper Main Arm's 283 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Mullumbimby, the wider ABS statistical area containing Upper Main Arm. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Upper Main Arm itself.
7,623 in 2001 to 9,662 in 2025, up 27%.
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.
Upper Main Arm data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Not 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 Upper Main Arm 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 2% of Upper Main Arm. 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 Upper Main Arm lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Upper Main Arm planning - frequently asked
Is Upper Main Arm flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Upper Main Arm, so this page can't say how much of the suburb is flood-affected - that is a gap in our data, not an indication that the suburb is free of flood risk. Byron is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.
Is Upper Main Arm bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Upper Main Arm is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Byron average of 94%.
Is Upper Main Arm under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 2% of Upper Main Arm, and over about 37% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 2,000 ft, with an average of 5,000 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 Upper Main Arm?
The dominant planning zone in Upper Main Arm is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Environmental Management.
Does Upper Main Arm have heritage-listed places?
Upper Main Arm has 9 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Upper Main Arm?
Across 110 surveyed parcels in Upper Main Arm, the median lot size is about 22,721 m². There are also 5 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Upper Main Arm?
At the 2021 Census Upper Main Arm had 283 usual residents, with a median age of 44 and an average household size of 2.1 people. The wider Mullumbimby statistical area, which contains Upper Main Arm, went from 7,623 people in 2001 to 9,662 in 2025, up 27%.
Is Upper Main Arm an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Upper Main Arm scores 964 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 Upper Main Arm?
Median household income in Upper Main Arm was $850 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,634 for the typical suburb in Byron. Median rent was $390 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,888 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palmwoods | 2.6 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Main Arm | 3.5 km | 10% | 100% |
| Upper Wilsons Creek | 4.4 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Chowan Creek Tweed |
5.1 km | 3% | 100% |
| Upper Burringbar Tweed |
5.1 km | 1% | 99% |
| Rowlands Creek Tweed |
5.7 km | 4% | 100% |
| Koonyum Range | 5.8 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Commissioners Creek Tweed |
6.1 km | 4% | 100% |
| Huonbrook | 6.4 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Smiths Creek Tweed |
6.9 km | 4% | 100% |