Acton flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Acton (Canberra Central, ACT) - 5.12 km², mapped from live district and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.

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

Planning schematicActon

Constraint readout

5.12 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.

Flood overlay 42%

5.2× district avg (8%) · #1 of 25 mapped district suburbs

Modelled flood depth held over parts of Acton

Bushfire-prone 12%

below district avg (17%) · #13 of 25 mapped district suburbs

Environmental39%

≈ district avg (34%) · #12 of 25 in district

Heritage sites 34 Noise corridor 98% Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 57% Mostly Designated Flood 1st most affected of 25 → Bushfire 13th most affected of 25 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Acton'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 Acton

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 3 Oct 2026

Under observed aircraft

99%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

57%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

2,000 ft

averaging 3,500 ft

Busiest square

~4 a day

1 a day below 3,000 ft · ±28%
typical observed square 1 a day

Night movements: observed, lowest 3,500 ft - night is sampled as often as day, but night traffic is light, so this is a floor and no rate can be put on it.

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.

Acton at a glance

Parcels 29 Median lot 6,525 m² Mapped easements 16 Bus stops 9

How Acton is zoned

Designated 98%

Transport 2%

Services 0%

Core 0%

Community Facilities 0%

Buying in Acton? The Territory Plan zone on this page sits alongside the Crown lease, which sets what a block may actually be used for.

Across its 5.12 km², Acton is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 42% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 12% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 34 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Designated. The median lot measures about 6,525 m² across 29 parcels.

Who lives in Acton

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

Population

2,848

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median rent

per week, Canberra Central suburb typical $471

Household size

1.0

people, average

Age profile

Share of Acton's 2,848 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 0.2%

5-14 0.0%

15-19 51.1%

20-24 37.3%

25-34 9.4%

35-44 1.8%

45-54 0.2%

55-64 0.0%

65-74 0.0%

75-84 0.0%

85+ 0.0%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

1,488 in 2001 to 3,616 in 2025, up 143%.

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.

Acton 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 ACT Territory Plan and ACT Government spatial data
Bushfire-prone mapping	Mapped	the ACT Territory Plan and ACT Government spatial data
Zoning	Mapped	the ACT Territory Plan and ACT Government spatial data
Heritage and environment	Mapped where published	the ACT Territory Plan and ACT Government spatial data
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)	Not held	the ACT Territory Plan and ACT Government 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 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 Acton 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 57% of Acton. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.

Published flood models are held over parts of Acton. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$9 with the planning report.

See what's in the $9 report →

Acton planning - frequently asked

Is Acton flood-prone?

About 42% of Acton falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the district-wide suburb average of 8%. Published flood models are held over parts of Acton; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.

Is Acton bushfire-prone?

Around 12% of Acton is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Canberra Central average of 17%.

Is Acton under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 57% of Acton, and over about 99% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 3 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 2,000 ft, with an average of 3,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 4 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. 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 Acton?

The dominant planning zone in Acton is Designated, though the suburb also includes Transport and Services.

Does Acton have heritage-listed places?

Acton has 34 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Acton?

Across 29 surveyed parcels in Acton, the median lot size is about 6,525 m². There are also 16 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Acton have a train station?

There is no train station inside Acton itself. The suburb is served by 9 bus stops.

What is the population of Acton?

At the 2021 Census Acton had 2,848 usual residents, with a median age of 19 and an average household size of 1.0 people. The wider Acton statistical area, which contains Acton, went from 1,488 people in 2001 to 3,616 in 2025, up 143%.

What is the median household income in Acton?

Median rent was $9 a week.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
City	1.3 km	0%	0%
Turner	2.0 km	3%	0%
Braddon	2.3 km	0%	<1%
Reid	2.5 km	0%	<1%
Parkes	2.5 km	34%	0%
Yarralumla	2.6 km	18%	19%
O'Connor	2.9 km	3%	41%
Capital Hill	3.1 km	0%	0%
Ainslie	3.3 km	<1%	32%
Barton	3.6 km	37%	3%

See all Canberra Central suburb profiles →