Whites River flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Whites River (Lower Eyre Council, SA) - 44.2 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.

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

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Whites 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.

Whites River at a glance

Parcels 53 Median lot 504,447 m²

How Whites River is zoned

Rural 84%
Conservation 14%
Coastal Waters and Offshore Islands 2%

Selling in Whites 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 44.2 km², Whites River is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 98% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 504,447 m² across 53 parcels.

Who lives in Whites River

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

Population
9
usual residents, 2021

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 920, and decile 2 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

6,179 in 2001 to 7,232 in 2025, up 17%.

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.

Whites River data sources and coverage

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

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedthe South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedthe South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data
ZoningMappedthe South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedthe South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldthe South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)

Profile last materially updated 3 October 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 Whites 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.

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

See what's in the $9 report →

Whites River planning - frequently asked

Is Whites River flood-prone?

Flood mapping covers Whites River and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay.

Is Whites River bushfire-prone?

Around 98% of Whites River is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Lower Eyre Council average of 97%.

Is Whites River under a flight path?

No aircraft were observed over Whites River in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 3 Oct 2026). Sampling is intermittent, so that is a floor rather than proof that none fly over. 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 Whites River?

The dominant planning zone in Whites River is Rural, though the suburb also includes Conservation and Coastal Waters and Offshore Islands.

Does Whites River have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within Whites River.

What is the typical lot size in Whites River?

Across 53 surveyed parcels in Whites River, the median lot size is about 504,447 m².

Is Whites River an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Whites River scores 920 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Louth Bay 5.6 km 0% 98%
Whites Flat 9.6 km 0% 100%
Poonindie 10.2 km 0% 96%
Koppio
The District Council of Tumby Bay
11.5 km 0% 100%
Tumby Bay
The District Council of Tumby Bay
11.9 km 0% 98%
Point Boston 14.4 km 0% 82%
Charlton Gully 14.6 km 0% 100%
North Shields 15.6 km 0% 98%
Green Patch 19.0 km 0% 100%
Yallunda Flat
The District Council of Tumby Bay
19.4 km 0% 100%

See all Lower Eyre Council suburb profiles →