Queensland Globe: find property boundaries and lot on plan

Queensland Globe (often called QLD Globe) is the Queensland Government's free online map for exploring property, imagery and other spatial data across the state. To see a property's boundaries, search the street address or lot on plan, load the Property topic, then use the Identify tool on the land parcel to read its lot and plan, area and tenure and download a free A4 SmartMap. Here is how to do that step by step, which layers are worth turning on, and what the Globe will not tell you.

LayeredGeo is not part of Queensland Globe or the Queensland Government. The Globe is a free government tool and the right place to start for Queensland property boundaries.

How to open Queensland Globe

Go to qldglobe.information.qld.gov.au. It runs in a web browser on a computer or phone, and you do not need an account to search and view layers. Logging in (with a Google, ArcGIS Online or QGov account) is only needed to save or share a map.

Step 1: Search for the property

Use the search box. The options include:

• Street address, from Queensland's address database.
• Lot on plan, from Queensland's property database, which returns the property boundary on the map. Enter it in the form 1SP217659. Units in a building format plan can be searched with their BUP reference.
• Locality (suburb), latitude/longitude and MGA coordinates, plus a features search that also finds things like water bores and survey marks.

Tip: if you have the lot on plan from the contract, rates notice or listing, search by that. It is the reference the boundaries are drawn from.

Step 2: Turn on the property boundaries

The quickest way to load the boundaries is the Property topic. Open Topics from the menu on the left and launch the Property topic. It adds a ready-made group of land and cadastral layers.

You can also add the layer yourself: open Layers, select Add layers, type "land parcel" in Filter layers by name and tick the Land parcel layer. Zoom in to see the boundary lines.

Step 3: Read the lot details and get a free SmartMap

1. Select the Identify tool from the toolbar and tick Select first item.
2. Click inside the property. The Identify must land on the Land parcel layer, or the property options will not appear.
3. If more than one record comes back, use the arrows at the top of the attribute panel to find the LOTPLAN record.
4. The attributes show the lot and plan number, area, tenure and other details.
5. Scroll down to Information and products. From there you can download a free A4 SmartMap, which shows the boundary of the property, the neighbouring parcels and key details such as lot and plan, area, tenure, local government and locality. There is also a Title Search link.

The SmartMap is a handy one-page record to send to a builder, surveyor or conveyancer. For land values, the Land valuations topic shows the valuation data for a parcel the same way.

Useful layers for buyers

The Globe holds hundreds of layers. A few worth a look when you are checking a property:

• Easement parcels, under the land parcel layers, which show registered easements as their own parcels. Check what any easement is for before you plan a pool, shed or extension near it.
• Registered water bores, which open a bore report with construction details and, for many bores, a log of the ground drilled through. Our article on groundwater bore records covers how to read them.
• Contours and imagery, including the Past imagery tool for older aerial photos that can show earlier land use or old creek lines.
• Soils, acid sulfate soils and geology mapping at regional scales.
• Coastal layers such as storm tide and erosion prone areas, and historic flood lines for some past floods, such as 1974 in Brisbane and 2011 in a number of Queensland towns.
• Koala habitat and other state environmental mapping.

What Queensland Globe does not tell you

The boundary lines are a picture, not a survey. The Queensland Government says survey plans are the legal source of truth for property boundaries. The digital cadastre the Globe draws from was originally digitised from maps, and its positional accuracy still varies across the state. Councils that upgrade their area aim for 0.1 to 0.2 metres in towns, but in the worst areas the line can still be out by up to about 63 metres. Do not use the Globe to settle where a fence or a slab goes. That is a job for a registered surveyor working from the survey plan, which can be bought through Titles Queensland.

Beyond that, the Globe is built around state datasets, and some of the things a buyer most needs to know come from elsewhere:

• Your council zone and overlays. The zone and the council overlays that control what you can build (flood, character, heritage, bushfire and so on) are set in the council's planning scheme and published in its own mapping. Check that mapping for the address.
• Modelled flood depth for the lot. Historic flood lines show where some past floods reached. They do not tell you how deep a council's flood study models the water at the property for a 1% AEP flood, which is what drives floor levels. Our guide to reading a flood overlay versus actual flood risk explains the difference.
• Soil reactivity. Regional soil and geology mapping is a starting point, not a site classification. Footing design depends on a site investigation.
• All the constraints in one PDF. The Globe is a map you explore layer by layer. It does not produce a single report of every planning constraint on a lot.

The planning layers for an address in one PDF

Queensland Globe is the official place to check boundaries and state mapping, so use it. If you want the council and state planning layers for an address pulled together, LayeredGeo's Property Report puts zoning, flood, bushfire, heritage and character, vegetation, environmental overlays, registered easements, contours, and the water, sewer and stormwater mains the utilities publish into a single PDF, with a map and a plain-English note for each. The map preview is free and the PDF is $9. Pop in your address or check out a sample report.

Common questions

How do I find property boundaries on Queensland Globe? Search the address or lot on plan, launch the Property topic from the Topics menu (or add the Land parcel layer), and zoom in. The parcel lines show the boundaries, and the Identify tool gives the lot and plan, area and tenure.

Is Queensland Globe free? Yes. Queensland Globe is a free Queensland Government tool. You can search, view layers and download a free A4 cadastral SmartMap without an account. You only need to log in to save or share a map.

How accurate are the property boundaries on QLD Globe? They are a guide, not a survey. The digital cadastre's accuracy varies across Queensland. Councils upgrading their urban areas look for 0.1 to 0.2 metres, while the worst areas are currently out by up to about 63 metres. Survey plans are the legal source of truth for boundaries.

How do I find my lot and plan number in Queensland? Search the street address in Queensland Globe, add the Land parcel layer or the Property topic, and use the Identify tool on the property. The attribute panel shows the lot and plan, and the free SmartMap lists it too.

LayeredGeo's Property Report pulls together public planning and site data for property due diligence across Queensland, New South Wales, Victoria, South Australia, the ACT and Tasmania, so you can understand a place before you commit.

About this article. Published by LayeredGeo. It is general information about how property and ground conditions are assessed in Australia, not engineering, planning, legal or financial advice, and it is not specific to any property. Check anything that matters against the source dataset or a suitably qualified professional before you rely on it. If you spot something wrong, tell us at hello@layeredgeo.com.au and we will fix it.

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