Avalon Beach flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Avalon Beach
(Northern Beaches, NSW) - 5.25 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
5.25 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Avalon Beach'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 Avalon Beach
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 25 Sep 2026
typical observed square 2 a day
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.
Avalon Beach at a glance
How Avalon Beach is zoned
Buying in Avalon Beach? 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 5.25 km², Avalon Beach is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 12% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 23% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 32 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Living. The median lot measures about 790 m² across 3,587 parcels.
Who lives in Avalon Beach
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Avalon Beach 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 1121, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Avalon Beach's 10,379 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Avalon - Palm Beach, the wider ABS statistical area containing Avalon Beach. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Avalon Beach itself.
13,047 in 2001 to 13,161 in 2025, up 1%.
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.
Avalon Beach 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 26 September 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 Avalon Beach 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 70% of Avalon Beach. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Avalon Beach lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Avalon Beach planning - frequently asked
Is Avalon Beach flood-prone?
About 12% of Avalon Beach falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 12%.
Is Avalon Beach bushfire-prone?
Around 23% of Avalon Beach is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Northern Beaches average of 47%.
Is Avalon Beach under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 70% of Avalon Beach, and over about 84% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 25 Sep 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 3,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 5 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 Avalon Beach?
The dominant planning zone in Avalon Beach is Environmental Living, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Environmental Conservation.
Does Avalon Beach have heritage-listed places?
Avalon Beach has 32 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Avalon Beach?
Across 3,587 surveyed parcels in Avalon Beach, the median lot size is about 790 m². There are also 22 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Avalon Beach have a train station?
There is no train station inside Avalon Beach itself. The suburb is served by 163 bus stops.
What is the population of Avalon Beach?
At the 2021 Census Avalon Beach had 10,379 usual residents, with a median age of 46 and an average household size of 2.8 people. The wider Avalon - Palm Beach statistical area, which contains Avalon Beach, went from 13,047 people in 2001 to 13,161 in 2025, up 1%.
Is Avalon Beach an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Avalon Beach scores 1121 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Avalon Beach?
Median household income in Avalon Beach was $2,481 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,778 for the typical suburb in Northern Beaches. Median rent was $700 a week and the median mortgage repayment $3,250 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bilgola Beach | 1.8 km | 9% | 65% |
| Whale Beach | 1.8 km | 3% | 21% |
| Clareville | 1.9 km | 4% | 5% |
| Bilgola Plateau | 2.3 km | 2% | 21% |
| Pittwater | 2.7 km | <1% | 12% |
| Newport | 3.3 km | 11% | 12% |
| Palm Beach | 3.4 km | 6% | 48% |
| Scotland Island | 3.7 km | <1% | 100% |
| Coasters Retreat | 3.8 km | <1% | 100% |
| Morning Bay | 4.4 km | Not mapped | 100% |