Property Report / Areas / Ballina / West Ballina

West Ballina zoning & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of West Ballina (Ballina, NSW) - 10.69 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 26 September 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to West Ballina'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 West Ballina

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.

West Ballina at a glance

Parcels 1,145 Median lot 699 m² Mapped easements 1 Bus stops 14

How West Ballina is zoned

Rural Landscape 46%
Deferred Matter 17%
Low Density Residential 10%
Natural Waterways 9%
Environmental Conservation 6%
Recreational Waterways 5%

Buying in West Ballina? 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 10.69 km², West Ballina 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, 74% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 699 m² across 1,145 parcels.

Who lives in West Ballina

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the West Ballina suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population
3,230
usual residents, 2021
Median age
54
years
Median household income
$1,015
per week, Ballina suburb typical $1,812
Median rent
$370
per week, Ballina suburb typical $410
Median mortgage
$1,863
per month
Household size
2.1
people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 917, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of West Ballina's 3,230 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 4.2%
5-14 9.2%
15-19 5.0%
20-24 4.6%
25-34 7.4%
35-44 8.7%
45-54 11.5%
55-64 13.6%
65-74 18.6%
75-84 13.1%
85+ 4.0%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Ballina, the wider ABS statistical area containing West Ballina. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than West Ballina itself.

16,711 in 2001 to 18,813 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.

West Ballina data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingNot mappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
ZoningMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)

Profile last materially updated 26 September 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 West Ballina 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 West Ballina lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

West Ballina planning - frequently asked

Is West Ballina flood-prone?

We don't yet hold flood mapping covering West Ballina, 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. Ballina is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.

Is West Ballina bushfire-prone?

Around 74% of West Ballina is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Ballina average of 68%.

Is West Ballina under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed over about 4% of West Ballina in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 7,000 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 West Ballina?

The dominant planning zone in West Ballina is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Deferred Matter and Low Density Residential.

Does West Ballina have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within West Ballina.

What is the typical lot size in West Ballina?

Across 1,145 surveyed parcels in West Ballina, the median lot size is about 699 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does West Ballina have a train station?

There is no train station inside West Ballina itself. The suburb is served by 14 bus stops.

What is the population of West Ballina?

At the 2021 Census West Ballina had 3,230 usual residents, with a median age of 54 and an average household size of 2.1 people. The wider Ballina statistical area, which contains West Ballina, went from 16,711 people in 2001 to 18,813 in 2025, up 13%.

Is West Ballina an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), West Ballina scores 917 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 West Ballina?

Median household income in West Ballina was $1,015 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,812 for the typical suburb in Ballina. Median rent was $370 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,863 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Pimlico 4.3 km Not mapped 94%
Cumbalum 4.4 km Not mapped 76%
Keith Hall 4.4 km Not mapped 90%
Uralba 4.7 km Not mapped 96%
Ballina 5.3 km Not mapped 58%
South Ballina 5.3 km Not mapped 64%
Teven 5.5 km Not mapped 82%
Alstonville 6.6 km Not mapped 57%
East Ballina 6.7 km Not mapped 50%
Pimlico Island 7.0 km Not mapped 0%

See all Ballina suburb profiles →