Property Report / Areas / Cairns Regional / White Rock

White Rock flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of White Rock (Cairns Regional, QLD) - 9.53 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 10 September 2026.

Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.

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

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

How common is mapped flood risk across White Rock properties?

Overlay percentages say how much land is constrained; these figures say how many properties are actually touched in a suburb-wide analysis of 2,275 White Rock properties. No individual property result is identified on this page.

White Rock at a glance

Parcels 2,158 Median lot 732 m² Mapped easements 263 Bus stops 18 Schools in suburb 2 Landslide overlay <1%

Schools in and near White Rock

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

2

2 schools providing primary years and 1 providing secondary years. A combined school may be counted in both teaching levels.

Nearest school availability

Primary: inside the suburb

Secondary: inside the suburb

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 White Rock is zoned

Conservation 62%
Low Density Residential 17%
Rural Residential 8%
Low-medium Density Residential 6%
Community Facilities 4%
Open Space 2%

Selling in White Rock? 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 9.53 km², White Rock is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 93% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 9% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Conservation. The terrain is largely flat, and the median lot measures about 732 m² across 2,158 parcels.

Who lives in White Rock

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

Population
4,918
usual residents, 2021
Median age
37
years
Median household income
$1,396
per week, Cairns Regional suburb typical $1,618
Median rent
$340
per week, Cairns Regional suburb typical $315
Median mortgage
$1,343
per month
Household size
2.6
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 898, and decile 2 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of White Rock's 4,918 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 7.0%
5-14 15.0%
15-19 6.3%
20-24 5.7%
25-34 13.1%
35-44 13.1%
45-54 12.3%
55-64 10.5%
65-74 9.9%
75-84 5.1%
85+ 2.0%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

3,615 in 2001 to 5,198 in 2025, up 44%.

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.

White Rock 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 10 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 White Rock 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 White Rock. 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 White Rock lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

White Rock planning - frequently asked

Is White Rock flood-prone?

About 93% of White Rock falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 55%. Across the suburb, 4% of the 2,275 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 98 rated high risk or historically affected.

Is White Rock bushfire-prone?

Around 9% of White Rock is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Cairns Regional average of 23%.

What is the zoning in White Rock?

The dominant planning zone in White Rock is Conservation, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Rural Residential.

Does White Rock have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within White Rock.

Is White Rock hilly or flat?

White Rock is largely flat: the median ground slope is about 2%, and 4% of measured points sit on grades of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 4 m to 18 m AHD across the suburb.

What is the typical lot size in White Rock?

Across 2,158 surveyed parcels in White Rock, the median lot size is about 732 m². There are also 263 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does White Rock have a train station?

There is no train station inside White Rock itself. The suburb is served by 18 bus stops.

What is the population of White Rock?

At the 2021 Census White Rock had 4,918 usual residents, with a median age of 37 and an average household size of 2.6 people. The wider White Rock statistical area, which contains White Rock, went from 3,615 people in 2001 to 5,198 in 2025, up 44%.

Is White Rock an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), White Rock scores 898 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 White Rock?

Median household income in White Rock was $1,396 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,618 for the typical suburb in Cairns Regional. Median rent was $340 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,343 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Woree 2.5 km 74% 28%
Portsmith 2.9 km 100% 1%
Mount Sheridan 3.2 km 41% 31%
Bayview Heights 4.1 km 33% 37%
Bungalow 4.6 km 100% 2%
Edmonton 4.6 km 78% 22%
Wrights Creek 4.8 km 100% 9%
Bentley Park 4.9 km 50% 37%
Earlville 4.9 km 46% 29%
Westcourt 5.4 km 100% <1%

See all Cairns Regional suburb profiles →