Rochester flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Rochester
(Wakefield Regional Council, SA) - 18.57 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
18.57 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Rochester'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 Rochester
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.
Rochester at a glance
How Rochester is zoned
Selling in Rochester? 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 18.57 km², Rochester is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 50,553 m² across 65 parcels.
Who lives in Rochester
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Rochester 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 1033, and decile 9 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Wakefield - Barunga West, the wider ABS statistical area containing Rochester. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Rochester itself.
9,198 in 2001 to 9,786 in 2025, up 6%.
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.
Rochester 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 Rochester 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.
Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 3% of Rochester. 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 Rochester lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Rochester planning - frequently asked
Is Rochester flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Rochester and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 0%).
Is Rochester bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Rochester is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wakefield Regional Council average of 98%.
Is Rochester under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 3% of Rochester, and over about 12% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 26 Sep 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 2,500 ft, with an average of 4,500 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 Rochester?
The dominant planning zone in Rochester is Rural.
Does Rochester have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Rochester.
What is the typical lot size in Rochester?
Across 65 surveyed parcels in Rochester, the median lot size is about 50,553 m².
Is Rochester an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Rochester scores 1033 and sits in decile 8 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marola | 3.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Anama Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council |
5.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Hart | 7.6 km | 0% | 100% |
| Bungaree Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council |
8.2 km | 0% | 100% |
| Brinkworth | 10.1 km | 0% | 100% |
| Euromina Northern Areas Council |
10.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Barinia Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council |
12.9 km | 0% | 100% |
| Benbournie Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council |
13.1 km | 0% | 100% |
| Hilltown Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council |
13.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Stanley Flat Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council |
14.3 km | 0% | 100% |