River Heads flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of River Heads
(Fraser Coast Regional, QLD) - 20.7 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 12 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
20.7 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to River Heads's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
River Heads at a glance
Schools in and near River Heads
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 schools providing primary years and 0 providing secondary years. A combined school may be counted in both teaching levels.
Nearest school availability
Primary: 7.54 km from the suburb boundary
Secondary: 7.54 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 River Heads is zoned
Selling in River Heads? 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 20.7 km², River Heads is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 70% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 15% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Environmental Management and Conservation. The median lot measures about 2,000 m² across 1,425 parcels.
Who lives in River Heads
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the River Heads 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 892, and decile 2 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of River Heads's 2,044 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Booral - River Heads, the wider ABS statistical area containing River Heads. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than River Heads itself.
2,699 in 2001 to 7,887 in 2025, up 192%.
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.
River Heads 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 | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Zoning | Mapped | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data, Defence |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
| School availability | Available | Queensland Government |
Profile last materially updated 12 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 River Heads 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.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a River Heads lot.
See what's in the $9 report →River Heads planning - frequently asked
Is River Heads flood-prone?
About 70% of River Heads falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 41%.
Is River Heads bushfire-prone?
Around 15% of River Heads is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Fraser Coast Regional average of 68%.
What is the zoning in River Heads?
The dominant planning zone in River Heads is Environmental Management and Conservation, though the suburb also includes Rural and Low Density Residential.
Does River Heads have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within River Heads.
What is the typical lot size in River Heads?
Across 1,425 surveyed parcels in River Heads, the median lot size is about 2,000 m². There are also 68 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of River Heads?
At the 2021 Census River Heads had 2,044 usual residents, with a median age of 54 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Booral - River Heads statistical area, which contains River Heads, went from 2,699 people in 2001 to 7,887 in 2025, up 192%.
Is River Heads an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), River Heads scores 892 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in River Heads?
Median household income in River Heads was $1,243 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,124 for the typical suburb in Fraser Coast Regional. Median rent was $350 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,400 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Booral | 6.7 km | 17% | 75% |
| Bunya Creek | 8.4 km | 84% | 46% |
| Tandora | 10.9 km | 80% | 62% |
| Wondunna | 11.5 km | 1% | 56% |
| Great Sandy Strait | 13.2 km | 51% | 5% |
| Kawungan | 13.3 km | <1% | 20% |
| Urangan | 13.7 km | 20% | 26% |
| Sunshine Acres | 13.8 km | 46% | 92% |
| Nikenbah | 13.8 km | 33% | 38% |
| Torquay | 13.9 km | 7% | 3% |