Property Report / Areas / Bellingen / Brierfield

Brierfield zoning & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Brierfield (Bellingen, NSW) - 52.06 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Brierfield's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Brierfield

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.

Brierfield at a glance

Parcels 203 Median lot 90,986 m² Mapped easements 2 Bus stops 60

How Brierfield is zoned

Forestry 47%
Rural Landscape 22%
National Parks and Nature Reserves 14%
Primary Production 6%
Primary Production Small Lots 4%
Environmental Management 3%

Buying in Brierfield? 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 52.06 km², Brierfield is highly constrained by the planning overlays we hold. We hold no flood mapping covering this suburb, so no flood figure is shown - that is a gap in our data, not an all-clear. Of what is mapped, 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 2 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Forestry. The median lot measures about 90,986 m² across 203 parcels.

Who lives in Brierfield

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Brierfield suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population
322
usual residents, 2021
Median age
46
years
Median household income
$1,604
per week, Bellingen suburb typical $1,268
Median rent
$350
per week, Bellingen suburb typical $300
Median mortgage
$1,625
per month
Household size
2.9
people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 7
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1012, and decile 6 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 8
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Brierfield's 322 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 3.2%
5-14 15.2%
15-19 6.6%
20-24 4.7%
25-34 7.0%
35-44 11.4%
45-54 17.1%
55-64 19.3%
65-74 11.4%
75-84 4.1%
85+ 0.0%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Bellingen, the wider ABS statistical area containing Brierfield. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Brierfield itself.

5,539 in 2001 to 6,200 in 2025, up 12%.

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.

Brierfield data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingNot mappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
ZoningMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian 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 Brierfield 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 2% of Brierfield. 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 Brierfield lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Brierfield planning - frequently asked

Is Brierfield flood-prone?

We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Brierfield, so this page can't say how much of the suburb is flood-affected - that is a gap in our data, not an indication that the suburb is free of flood risk. Bellingen is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.

Is Brierfield bushfire-prone?

Around 100% of Brierfield is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Bellingen average of 98%.

Is Brierfield under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 2% of Brierfield, and over about 36% 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 2,000 ft, with an average of 5,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 9 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 Brierfield?

The dominant planning zone in Brierfield is Forestry, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and National Parks and Nature Reserves.

Does Brierfield have heritage-listed places?

Brierfield has 2 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Brierfield?

Across 203 surveyed parcels in Brierfield, the median lot size is about 90,986 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Brierfield have a train station?

There is no train station inside Brierfield itself. The suburb is served by 60 bus stops.

What is the population of Brierfield?

At the 2021 Census Brierfield had 322 usual residents, with a median age of 46 and an average household size of 2.9 people. The wider Bellingen statistical area, which contains Brierfield, went from 5,539 people in 2001 to 6,200 in 2025, up 12%.

Is Brierfield an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Brierfield scores 1012 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 6 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Brierfield?

Median household income in Brierfield was $1,604 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,268 for the typical suburb in Bellingen. Median rent was $350 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,625 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Spicketts Creek 5.0 km Not mapped 100%
Fernmount 5.0 km Not mapped 99%
Bellingen 7.1 km Not mapped 94%
Urunga 7.6 km Not mapped 92%
Valla
Nambucca Valley
8.1 km Not mapped 96%
Raleigh 9.5 km Not mapped 96%
Kennaicle Creek 9.9 km Not mapped 100%
Hydes Creek 11.2 km Not mapped 100%
Valla Beach
Nambucca Valley
11.6 km Not mapped 90%
Mylestom 12.2 km Not mapped 76%

See all Bellingen suburb profiles →