Beechwood flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Beechwood
(Port Macquarie-Hastings, NSW) - 9.94 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
9.94 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Beechwood'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 Beechwood
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: observed, lowest 4,000 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.
Beechwood at a glance
How Beechwood is zoned
Buying in Beechwood? 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 9.94 km², Beechwood is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 2% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 87% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 3 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 4,656 m² across 444 parcels.
Who lives in Beechwood
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Beechwood 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 943, and decile 3 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Beechwood's 914 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Wauchope, the wider ABS statistical area containing Beechwood. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Beechwood itself.
8,642 in 2001 to 13,754 in 2025, up 59%.
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.
Beechwood 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 Beechwood 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 18% of Beechwood. 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 Beechwood lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Beechwood planning - frequently asked
Is Beechwood flood-prone?
About 2% of Beechwood falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 36%.
Is Beechwood bushfire-prone?
Around 87% of Beechwood is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Port Macquarie-Hastings average of 93%.
Is Beechwood under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 18% of Beechwood, and over about 46% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 4,000 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 Beechwood?
The dominant planning zone in Beechwood is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Large Lot Residential and Environmental Conservation.
Does Beechwood have heritage-listed places?
Beechwood has 3 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Beechwood?
Across 444 surveyed parcels in Beechwood, the median lot size is about 4,656 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Beechwood have a train station?
There is no train station inside Beechwood itself. The suburb is served by 17 bus stops.
What is the population of Beechwood?
At the 2021 Census Beechwood had 914 usual residents, with a median age of 37 and an average household size of 2.8 people. The wider Wauchope statistical area, which contains Beechwood, went from 8,642 people in 2001 to 13,754 in 2025, up 59%.
Is Beechwood an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Beechwood scores 943 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 3 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Beechwood?
Median household income in Beechwood was $1,516 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,381 for the typical suburb in Port Macquarie-Hastings. Median rent was $368 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,955 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brombin | 2.8 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Huntingdon | 2.9 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Rosewood | 3.2 km | 0% | 99% |
| Hartys Plains | 4.6 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Yippin Creek | 5.4 km | 10% | 86% |
| Crosslands | 5.5 km | 46% | 92% |
| Mortons Creek | 5.9 km | <1% | 100% |
| Frazers Creek | 6.3 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Hyndmans Creek | 6.8 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Pipeclay | 7.0 km | Not mapped | 100% |