Symonston flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Symonston
(Jerrabomberra, ACT) - 9.81 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
9.81 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Symonston'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 Symonston
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 2,500 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.
Symonston at a glance
How Symonston is zoned
Buying in Symonston? The Territory Plan zone on this page sits alongside the Crown lease, which sets what a block may actually be used for.
Across its 9.81 km², Symonston is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 10% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 90% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 119 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Broadacre. The median lot measures about 44,093 m² across 55 parcels.
Who lives in Symonston
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Symonston 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 781, and decile 1 within the Australian Capital Territory. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Symonston's 655 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Canberra East, the wider ABS statistical area containing Symonston. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Symonston itself.
973 in 2001 to 1,226 in 2025, up 26%.
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.
Symonston 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 Symonston 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 44% of Symonston. 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 Symonston. 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 →Symonston planning - frequently asked
Is Symonston flood-prone?
About 10% of Symonston falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the district-wide suburb average of 12%. Published flood models are held over parts of Symonston; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Symonston bushfire-prone?
Around 90% of Symonston is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Jerrabomberra average of 74%.
Is Symonston under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 44% of Symonston, and over about 92% 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 3,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 23 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 Symonston?
The dominant planning zone in Symonston is Broadacre, though the suburb also includes Designated and Transport.
Does Symonston have heritage-listed places?
Symonston has 119 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Symonston?
Across 55 surveyed parcels in Symonston, the median lot size is about 44,093 m². There are also 31 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Symonston have a train station?
There is no train station inside Symonston itself. The suburb is served by 2 bus stops.
What is the population of Symonston?
At the 2021 Census Symonston had 655 usual residents, with a median age of 55 and an average household size of 1.6 people. The wider Canberra East statistical area, which contains Symonston, went from 973 people in 2001 to 1,226 in 2025, up 26%.
Is Symonston an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Symonston scores 781 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within the Australian Capital Territory (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Symonston?
Median household income in Symonston was $841 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,187 for the typical suburb in Jerrabomberra. Median rent was $275 a week and the median mortgage repayment $599 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narrabundah Canberra Central |
1.5 km | 4% | 18% |
| Griffith Canberra Central |
3.0 km | 0% | 0% |
| Fyshwick Canberra Central |
3.0 km | 36% | 52% |
| Red Hill Canberra Central |
3.4 km | 0% | 47% |
| Kingston Canberra Central |
3.8 km | 12% | 9% |
| O'Malley Woden Valley |
4.1 km | <1% | 74% |
| Isaacs Woden Valley |
4.4 km | <1% | 69% |
| Forrest Canberra Central |
4.4 km | 0% | 1% |
| Hume | 4.5 km | 7% | 85% |
| Garran Woden Valley |
4.6 km | 0% | 41% |