Chain Valley Bay flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Chain Valley Bay
(Central Coast, NSW) - 5.92 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
5.92 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Chain Valley Bay'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 Chain Valley Bay
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: 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.
Chain Valley Bay at a glance
How Chain Valley Bay is zoned
Buying in Chain Valley Bay? 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 5.92 km², Chain Valley Bay is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 21% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 90% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 567 m² across 876 parcels.
Who lives in Chain Valley Bay
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Chain Valley Bay 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 887, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Chain Valley Bay's 2,773 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Lake Munmorah - Mannering Park, the wider ABS statistical area containing Chain Valley Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Chain Valley Bay itself.
9,041 in 2001 to 11,084 in 2025, up 23%.
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.
Chain Valley Bay 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 Chain Valley Bay 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 30% of Chain Valley Bay. 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 Chain Valley Bay lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Chain Valley Bay planning - frequently asked
Is Chain Valley Bay flood-prone?
About 21% of Chain Valley Bay falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 30%.
Is Chain Valley Bay bushfire-prone?
Around 90% of Chain Valley Bay is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Central Coast average of 69%.
Is Chain Valley Bay under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 30% of Chain Valley Bay, and over about 56% 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 1,500 ft, with an average of 3,000 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 Chain Valley Bay?
The dominant planning zone in Chain Valley Bay is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Low Density Residential.
Does Chain Valley Bay have heritage-listed places?
Chain Valley Bay has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Chain Valley Bay?
Across 876 surveyed parcels in Chain Valley Bay, the median lot size is about 567 m². There are also 5 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Chain Valley Bay have a train station?
There is no train station inside Chain Valley Bay itself. The suburb is served by 32 bus stops.
What is the population of Chain Valley Bay?
At the 2021 Census Chain Valley Bay had 2,773 usual residents, with a median age of 63 and an average household size of 2.1 people. The wider Lake Munmorah - Mannering Park statistical area, which contains Chain Valley Bay, went from 9,041 people in 2001 to 11,084 in 2025, up 23%.
Is Chain Valley Bay an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Chain Valley Bay scores 887 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 Chain Valley Bay?
Median household income in Chain Valley Bay was $866 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,735 for the typical suburb in Central Coast. Median rent was $370 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,647 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kingfisher Shores | 2.0 km | 45% | 94% |
| Crangan Bay Lake Macquarie |
2.0 km | 7% | 100% |
| Gwandalan | 2.8 km | 14% | 60% |
| Summerland Point | 2.9 km | 22% | 70% |
| Lake Munmorah | 3.2 km | 20% | 75% |
| Mannering Park | 3.2 km | 16% | 63% |
| Doyalson North | 3.3 km | 3% | 96% |
| Nords Wharf Lake Macquarie |
3.6 km | 4% | 88% |
| Freemans | 3.9 km | 23% | 100% |
| Moonee Lake Macquarie |
4.1 km | Not mapped | 94% |