Canton Beach flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Canton Beach
(Central Coast, NSW) - 0.85 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
0.85 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Canton 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 Canton 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 1 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.
Canton Beach at a glance
How Canton Beach is zoned
Buying in Canton 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 0.85 km², Canton Beach is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 57% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 60% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Public Recreation. The median lot measures about 635 m² across 311 parcels.
Who lives in Canton Beach
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Canton 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 828, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Canton Beach's 1,202 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Toukley - Norah Head, the wider ABS statistical area containing Canton Beach. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Canton Beach itself.
8,986 in 2001 to 9,908 in 2025, up 10%.
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.
Canton 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 Canton 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 98% of Canton Beach. 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 Canton Beach. 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 Canton Beach lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Canton Beach planning - frequently asked
Is Canton Beach flood-prone?
About 57% of Canton Beach falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 30%. Published flood models are held over parts of Canton Beach; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Canton Beach bushfire-prone?
Around 60% of Canton Beach is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Central Coast average of 69%.
Is Canton Beach under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 98% of Canton Beach, and over about 100% 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 1,000 ft, with an average of 2,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 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 Canton Beach?
The dominant planning zone in Canton Beach is Public Recreation, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Private Recreation.
Does Canton Beach have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Canton Beach.
What is the typical lot size in Canton Beach?
Across 311 surveyed parcels in Canton Beach, the median lot size is about 635 m². There are also 4 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Canton Beach have a train station?
There is no train station inside Canton Beach itself. The suburb is served by 10 bus stops.
What is the population of Canton Beach?
At the 2021 Census Canton Beach had 1,202 usual residents, with a median age of 61 and an average household size of 1.8 people. The wider Toukley - Norah Head statistical area, which contains Canton Beach, went from 8,986 people in 2001 to 9,908 in 2025, up 10%.
Is Canton Beach an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Canton Beach scores 828 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 Canton Beach?
Median household income in Canton Beach was $710 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,735 for the typical suburb in Central Coast. Median rent was $300 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,781 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Noraville | 0.8 km | 30% | 59% |
| Norah Head | 1.8 km | 16% | 91% |
| Toukley | 1.9 km | 55% | 47% |
| Magenta | 3.4 km | 8% | 94% |
| Gorokan | 4.5 km | 22% | 5% |
| Budgewoi | 4.7 km | 48% | 49% |
| Buff Point | 5.4 km | 30% | 39% |
| Lake Haven | 5.5 km | 15% | 15% |
| Wyongah | 5.6 km | 18% | 36% |
| Kanwal | 5.7 km | 8% | 41% |