American River flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of American River
(Kangaroo Island Council, SA) - 3.69 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
3.69 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to American River'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 American River
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 26 Sep 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.
American River at a glance
How American River is zoned
Selling in American River? The zone and overlays on this page are the Planning and Design Code controls a Form 1 vendor's statement has to disclose.
Across its 3.69 km², American River is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 30% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 71% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 6 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Neighbourhood. The median lot measures about 1,145 m² across 555 parcels.
Who lives in American River
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the American River 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 881, and decile 1 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of American River's 280 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Kangaroo Island, the wider ABS statistical area containing American River. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than American River itself.
4,227 in 2001 to 5,212 in 2025, up 23%.
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.
American River 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 South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Zoning | Mapped | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data, 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 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 American River 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 American River lot.
See what's in the $9 report →American River planning - frequently asked
Is American River flood-prone?
About 30% of American River falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 7%.
Is American River bushfire-prone?
Around 71% of American River is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Kangaroo Island Council average of 96%.
Is American River under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 20% of American River in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 3,000 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 American River?
The dominant planning zone in American River is Neighbourhood, though the suburb also includes Coastal Waters and Offshore Islands and Deferred Urban.
Does American River have heritage-listed places?
American River has 6 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in American River?
Across 555 surveyed parcels in American River, the median lot size is about 1,145 m².
Does American River have a train station?
There is no train station inside American River itself. The suburb is served by 12 bus stops.
What is the population of American River?
At the 2021 Census American River had 280 usual residents, with a median age of 63 and an average household size of 1.8 people. The wider Kangaroo Island statistical area, which contains American River, went from 4,227 people in 2001 to 5,212 in 2025, up 23%.
Is American River an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), American River scores 881 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in American River?
Median household income in American River was $831 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,249 for the typical suburb in Kangaroo Island Council. Median rent was $200 a week and the median mortgage repayment $696 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sapphiretown | 1.5 km | 60% | 47% |
| Ballast Head | 2.9 km | 2% | 99% |
| Island Beach | 3.0 km | 20% | 85% |
| Muston | 4.3 km | 4% | 96% |
| Pelican Lagoon | 6.5 km | 10% | 94% |
| Brown Beach | 7.3 km | 20% | 87% |
| Baudin Beach | 8.6 km | 22% | 83% |
| Dudley West | 9.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Nepean Bay | 9.7 km | 16% | 90% |
| American Beach | 10.2 km | 14% | 93% |