Broken Head flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Broken Head
(Byron, NSW) - 26.3 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
26.3 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Broken Head'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 Broken Head
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.
Broken Head at a glance
How Broken Head is zoned
Buying in Broken Head? 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 26.3 km², Broken Head is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 2% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 92% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 2 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 11,301 m² across 211 parcels.
Who lives in Broken Head
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Broken Head 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 1070, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Broken Head's 385 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Byron Bay, the wider ABS statistical area containing Broken Head. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Broken Head itself.
9,247 in 2001 to 11,482 in 2025, up 24%.
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.
Broken Head 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 Broken Head 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 1% of Broken Head. 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 Broken Head lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Broken Head planning - frequently asked
Is Broken Head flood-prone?
About 2% of Broken Head falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 22%.
Is Broken Head bushfire-prone?
Around 92% of Broken Head is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Byron average of 94%.
Is Broken Head under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 1% of Broken Head, and over about 32% 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 2,500 ft, with an average of 6,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 2 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 Broken Head?
The dominant planning zone in Broken Head is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Deferred Matter.
Does Broken Head have heritage-listed places?
Broken Head has 2 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Broken Head?
Across 211 surveyed parcels in Broken Head, the median lot size is about 11,301 m². There are also 5 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Broken Head?
At the 2021 Census Broken Head had 385 usual residents, with a median age of 43 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Byron Bay statistical area, which contains Broken Head, went from 9,247 people in 2001 to 11,482 in 2025, up 24%.
Is Broken Head an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Broken Head scores 1070 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Broken Head?
Median household income in Broken Head was $1,687 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,634 for the typical suburb in Byron. Median rent was $490 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,600 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newrybar Ballina |
4.6 km | <1% | 64% |
| Coopers Shoot | 4.9 km | <1% | 99% |
| Suffolk Park | 4.9 km | 26% | 82% |
| Knockrow Ballina |
6.3 km | Not mapped | 59% |
| Hayters Hill | 6.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Lennox Head Ballina |
7.0 km | Not mapped | 77% |
| Talofa | 7.5 km | 4% | 99% |
| Skinners Shoot | 8.1 km | 34% | 100% |
| Kinvara Ballina |
8.5 km | Not mapped | 96% |
| Brooklet Ballina |
8.9 km | Not mapped | 45% |