Forrest flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Forrest
(Canberra Central, ACT) - 1.57 km², mapped from live district and
state overlay data. This suburb is moderately constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
1.57 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Forrest'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 Forrest
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
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.
Forrest at a glance
How Forrest is zoned
Buying in Forrest? The Territory Plan zone on this page sits alongside the Crown lease, which sets what a block may actually be used for.
Across its 1.57 km², Forrest is moderately constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 1% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 299 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Suburban. The median lot measures about 1,669 m² across 406 parcels.
Who lives in Forrest
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Forrest 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 1185, and decile 10 within the Australian Capital Territory. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Forrest's 1,827 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Forrest, the wider ABS statistical area containing Forrest. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Forrest itself.
1,208 in 2001 to 1,944 in 2025, up 61%.
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.
Forrest 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 Forrest 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 Forrest. 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 →Forrest planning - frequently asked
Is Forrest flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Forrest and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the district-wide suburb average is 8%). Published flood models are held over parts of Forrest; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Forrest bushfire-prone?
Around 1% of Forrest is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Canberra Central average of 17%.
Is Forrest under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 72% of Forrest in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 3,000 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 Forrest?
The dominant planning zone in Forrest is Suburban, though the suburb also includes Designated and Suburban Core.
Does Forrest have heritage-listed places?
Forrest has 299 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Forrest?
Across 406 surveyed parcels in Forrest, the median lot size is about 1,669 m². There are also 238 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Forrest have a train station?
There is no train station inside Forrest itself. The suburb is served by 8 bus stops.
What is the population of Forrest?
At the 2021 Census Forrest had 1,827 usual residents, with a median age of 47 and an average household size of 2.2 people. The wider Forrest statistical area, which contains Forrest, went from 1,208 people in 2001 to 1,944 in 2025, up 61%.
Is Forrest an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Forrest scores 1185 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 Forrest?
Median household income in Forrest was $3,363 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,434 for the typical suburb in Canberra Central. Median rent was $570 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,520 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Capital Hill | 1.0 km | 0% | 0% |
| Barton | 1.5 km | 37% | 3% |
| Griffith | 1.5 km | 0% | 0% |
| Red Hill | 1.8 km | 0% | 47% |
| Kingston | 2.0 km | 12% | 9% |
| Deakin | 2.1 km | 0% | 28% |
| Parkes | 2.6 km | 34% | 0% |
| Yarralumla | 2.9 km | 18% | 19% |
| Narrabundah | 3.0 km | 4% | 18% |
| Garran Woden Valley |
3.1 km | 0% | 41% |