Forde flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Forde
(Gungahlin, ACT) - 1.92 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.
Constraint readout
1.92 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Forde'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 Forde
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
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.
Forde at a glance
How Forde is zoned
Buying in Forde? The Territory Plan zone on this page sits alongside the Crown lease, which sets what a block may actually be used for.
Across its 1.92 km², Forde is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 30% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 77 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Urban Open Space. The median lot measures about 468 m² across 1,261 parcels.
Who lives in Forde
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Forde 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 1159, and decile 10 within the Australian Capital Territory. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Forde's 4,435 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Forde, the wider ABS statistical area containing Forde. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Forde itself.
0 in 2001 to 4,457 in 2025.
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.
Forde 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 Forde 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.
Published flood models are held over parts of Forde. 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 →Forde planning - frequently asked
Is Forde flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Forde and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the district-wide suburb average is 2%). Published flood models are held over parts of Forde; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Forde bushfire-prone?
Around 30% of Forde is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Gungahlin average of 38%.
Is Forde under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 25% of Forde in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 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 Forde?
The dominant planning zone in Forde is Urban Open Space, though the suburb also includes Urban Residential and Suburban.
Does Forde have heritage-listed places?
Forde has 77 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Forde?
Across 1,261 surveyed parcels in Forde, the median lot size is about 468 m². There are also 513 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Forde have a train station?
There is no train station inside Forde itself. The suburb is served by 18 bus stops.
What is the population of Forde?
At the 2021 Census Forde had 4,435 usual residents, with a median age of 35 and an average household size of 3.2 people.
Is Forde an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Forde scores 1159 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within the Australian Capital Territory (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Forde?
Median household income in Forde was $3,553 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,680 for the typical suburb in Gungahlin. Median rent was $590 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,481 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bonner | 1.1 km | 0% | 32% |
| Amaroo | 1.5 km | 9% | 15% |
| Jacka | 2.2 km | 0% | 87% |
| Gungahlin | 2.5 km | 4% | 36% |
| Moncrieff | 2.6 km | <1% | 22% |
| Throsby | 3.3 km | 0% | 36% |
| Ngunnawal | 3.4 km | 4% | 9% |
| Franklin | 3.4 km | <1% | 21% |
| Harrison | 3.5 km | 0% | 25% |
| Palmerston | 3.7 km | 0% | 9% |