East Russell flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of East Russell (Cairns Regional, QLD) - 244.65 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 19 September 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to East Russell's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

How common is mapped flood risk across East Russell properties?

Overlay percentages say how much land is constrained; these figures say how many properties are actually touched in a suburb-wide analysis of 127 East Russell properties. No individual property result is identified on this page.

East Russell at a glance

Parcels 150 Median lot 40,582 m² Mapped easements 24 Schools in suburb 0 Landslide overlay 18%

Schools in and near East Russell

Public school-location data shows availability across the suburb. These figures do not rate schools and do not assign a particular address to a catchment.

Inside the suburb boundary

0

0 schools providing primary years and 0 providing secondary years. A combined school may be counted in both teaching levels.

Nearest school availability

Primary: 2.10 km from the suburb boundary

Secondary: 4.86 km from the suburb boundary

Source: Queensland Government school geographic information. Catchment boundaries can divide a suburb and change over time; use the official catchment finder for a specific address.

How East Russell is zoned

Conservation 78%
Rural 19%
Environmental Management 2%
Special Purpose 0%

Selling in East Russell? The lot-level zone is the zoning Part 3 of Queensland's Form 2 seller disclosure statement asks for - see our Form 2 planning data guide.

Across its 244.65 km², East Russell is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 13% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 4% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Conservation. The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 40,582 m² across 150 parcels.

Who lives in East Russell

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

Population
83
usual residents, 2021
Median age
53
years
Median household income
$1,292
per week, Cairns Regional suburb typical $1,618
Median rent
$150
per week, Cairns Regional suburb typical $315
Median mortgage
$1,186
per month
Household size
2.2
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 4
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 957, and decile 5 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 5
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of East Russell's 83 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 7.7%
5-14 3.3%
15-19 6.6%
20-24 3.3%
25-34 3.3%
35-44 12.1%
45-54 17.6%
55-64 24.2%
65-74 17.6%
75-84 4.4%
85+ 0.0%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

4,292 in 2001 to 4,765 in 2025, up 11%.

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.

East Russell data sources and coverage

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

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
ZoningMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data, Defence
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)
School availabilityAvailableQueensland Government

Profile last materially updated 19 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 East Russell 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.

Published flood models are held over parts of East Russell. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$9 with the planning report.

The Terrain Report shows the fall of the block - contours, cross sections and a 3D model of the lot (+$9 with the planning report).

Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a East Russell lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

East Russell planning - frequently asked

Is East Russell flood-prone?

About 13% of East Russell falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 55%. Across the suburb, 93% of the 127 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 118 rated high risk or historically affected.

Is East Russell bushfire-prone?

Around 4% of East Russell is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Cairns Regional average of 23%.

What is the zoning in East Russell?

The dominant planning zone in East Russell is Conservation, though the suburb also includes Rural and Environmental Management.

Does East Russell have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within East Russell.

Is East Russell hilly or flat?

East Russell is gently undulating: the median ground slope is about 5%, and 25% of measured points sit on grades of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 1 m to 153 m AHD across the suburb.

What is the typical lot size in East Russell?

Across 150 surveyed parcels in East Russell, the median lot size is about 40,582 m². There are also 24 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

What is the population of East Russell?

At the 2021 Census East Russell had 83 usual residents, with a median age of 53 and an average household size of 2.2 people. The wider Babinda statistical area, which contains East Russell, went from 4,292 people in 2001 to 4,765 in 2025, up 11%.

Is East Russell an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), East Russell scores 957 and sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally and decile 5 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in East Russell?

Median household income in East Russell was $1,292 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,618 for the typical suburb in Cairns Regional. Median rent was $150 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,186 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Bramston Beach 8.3 km 53% 44%
Deeral 9.8 km 72% 29%
Bellenden Ker 9.8 km 78% 5%
Babinda 10.8 km 81% <1%
Eubenangee 15.5 km 58% 28%
Mirriwinni 15.6 km 78% 7%
Fishery Falls 16.2 km 92% <1%
Wooroonooran 17.5 km 19% 15%
Wanjuru
Cassowary Coast Regional
19.8 km 42% 25%
Garradunga
Cassowary Coast Regional
20.2 km 51% <1%

See all Cairns Regional suburb profiles →