Arrawarra flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Arrawarra
(Coffs Harbour, NSW) - 2.85 km², mapped from live council 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
2.85 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Arrawarra'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 Arrawarra
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 2 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.
Arrawarra at a glance
How Arrawarra is zoned
Buying in Arrawarra? The zoning, flood and bushfire lines on the section 10.7 certificate attached to the contract are mapped controls - see our s10.7 certificate guide.
Across its 2.85 km², Arrawarra is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 58% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 92% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 865 m² across 79 parcels.
Who lives in Arrawarra
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Arrawarra 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 853, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Arrawarra's 591 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Woolgoolga - Arrawarra, the wider ABS statistical area containing Arrawarra. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Arrawarra itself.
10,248 in 2001 to 15,229 in 2025, up 49%.
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.
Arrawarra 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 | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Zoning | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, 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 Arrawarra 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 Arrawarra. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$9 with the planning report.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Arrawarra lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Arrawarra planning - frequently asked
Is Arrawarra flood-prone?
About 58% of Arrawarra falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 21%. Published flood models are held over parts of Arrawarra; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Arrawarra bushfire-prone?
Around 92% of Arrawarra is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Coffs Harbour average of 88%.
Is Arrawarra under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 9% of Arrawarra in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 5,500 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 Arrawarra?
The dominant planning zone in Arrawarra is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and National Parks and Nature Reserves.
Does Arrawarra have heritage-listed places?
Arrawarra has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Arrawarra?
Across 79 surveyed parcels in Arrawarra, the median lot size is about 865 m².
Does Arrawarra have a train station?
There is no train station inside Arrawarra itself. The suburb is served by 16 bus stops.
What is the population of Arrawarra?
At the 2021 Census Arrawarra had 591 usual residents, with a median age of 66 and an average household size of 1.9 people. The wider Woolgoolga - Arrawarra statistical area, which contains Arrawarra, went from 10,248 people in 2001 to 15,229 in 2025, up 49%.
Is Arrawarra an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Arrawarra scores 853 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Arrawarra?
Median household income in Arrawarra was $718 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,550 for the typical suburb in Coffs Harbour. Median rent was $200 a week and the median mortgage repayment $659 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrawarra Headland | 1.7 km | 12% | 93% |
| Corindi Beach | 3.6 km | 36% | 96% |
| Mullaway | 3.6 km | 9% | 90% |
| Safety Beach | 4.6 km | 35% | 69% |
| Woolgoolga | 5.4 km | 7% | 89% |
| Red Rock | 6.3 km | 50% | 96% |
| Upper Corindi | 6.8 km | 8% | 97% |
| Dirty Creek | 8.5 km | 0% | 88% |
| Sandy Beach | 10.4 km | 28% | 74% |
| Emerald Beach | 12.6 km | 24% | 96% |