Wardell flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Wardell
(Ballina, NSW) - 32.33 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
32.33 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Wardell'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 Wardell
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.
Wardell at a glance
How Wardell is zoned
Buying in Wardell? 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 32.33 km², Wardell is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 91% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 10 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Deferred Matter. The median lot measures about 2,022 m² across 511 parcels.
Who lives in Wardell
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Wardell 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 911, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Wardell's 830 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Ballina Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Wardell. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Wardell itself.
14,963 in 2001 to 19,370 in 2025, up 29%.
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.
Wardell 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 Wardell 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 Wardell lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Wardell planning - frequently asked
Is Wardell flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Wardell and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 0%).
Is Wardell bushfire-prone?
Around 91% of Wardell is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Ballina average of 68%.
Is Wardell under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 6% of Wardell in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 5,500 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 Wardell?
The dominant planning zone in Wardell is Deferred Matter, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Primary Production.
Does Wardell have heritage-listed places?
Wardell has 10 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Wardell?
Across 511 surveyed parcels in Wardell, the median lot size is about 2,022 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Wardell have a train station?
There is no train station inside Wardell itself. The suburb is served by 31 bus stops.
What is the population of Wardell?
At the 2021 Census Wardell had 830 usual residents, with a median age of 47 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Ballina Surrounds statistical area, which contains Wardell, went from 14,963 people in 2001 to 19,370 in 2025, up 29%.
Is Wardell an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Wardell scores 911 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Wardell?
Median household income in Wardell was $1,254 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,812 for the typical suburb in Ballina. Median rent was $350 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,569 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabbage Tree Island | 2.8 km | Not mapped | 63% |
| Bagotville | 3.1 km | <1% | 99% |
| Goat Island | 3.7 km | Not mapped | 0% |
| East Wardell | 4.1 km | Not mapped | 95% |
| Meerschaum Vale | 4.9 km | 0% | 100% |
| Coolgardie | 5.4 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Dungarubba Lismore |
6.9 km | 100% | 23% |
| Pimlico Island | 7.0 km | Not mapped | 0% |
| Patchs Beach | 7.0 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Dalwood | 7.8 km | Not mapped | 54% |