Coaldale flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Coaldale (Clarence Valley, NSW) - 94.0 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Coaldale's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Coaldale

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.

Coaldale at a glance

Parcels 154 Median lot 365,566 m² Mapped easements 2 Bus stops 7

How Coaldale is zoned

Rural Landscape 89%
National Parks and Nature Reserves 10%
Recreational Waterways 1%

Buying in Coaldale? 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 94.0 km², Coaldale is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 18 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 365,566 m² across 154 parcels.

Who lives in Coaldale

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

Population
73
usual residents, 2021
Median age
47
years
Median household income
$2,124
per week, Clarence Valley suburb typical $1,187
Median rent
$250
per week, Clarence Valley suburb typical $300
Median mortgage
$1,289
per month
Household size
3.1
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 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 925, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Coaldale's 73 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 5.4%
5-14 17.6%
15-19 6.8%
20-24 0.0%
25-34 6.8%
35-44 8.1%
45-54 23.0%
55-64 17.6%
65-74 9.5%
75-84 5.4%
85+ 0.0%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

14,917 in 2001 to 18,099 in 2025, up 21%.

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.

Coaldale data sources and coverage

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

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedNSW 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 Coaldale 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.

Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Coaldale lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Coaldale planning - frequently asked

Is Coaldale flood-prone?

Flood mapping covers Coaldale and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 24%).

Is Coaldale bushfire-prone?

Around 100% of Coaldale is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Clarence Valley average of 94%.

Is Coaldale under a flight path?

No aircraft were observed over Coaldale in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). Sampling is intermittent, so that is a floor rather than proof that none fly over. 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 Coaldale?

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

Does Coaldale have heritage-listed places?

Coaldale has 18 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Coaldale?

Across 154 surveyed parcels in Coaldale, the median lot size is about 365,566 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Coaldale have a train station?

There is no train station inside Coaldale itself. The suburb is served by 7 bus stops.

What is the population of Coaldale?

At the 2021 Census Coaldale had 73 usual residents, with a median age of 47 and an average household size of 3.1 people. The wider Grafton Surrounds statistical area, which contains Coaldale, went from 14,917 people in 2001 to 18,099 in 2025, up 21%.

Is Coaldale an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Coaldale scores 925 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Coaldale?

Median household income in Coaldale was $2,124 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,187 for the typical suburb in Clarence Valley. Median rent was $250 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,289 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Barretts Creek 6.5 km 0% 100%
Punchbowl 8.8 km 0% 100%
Fortis Creek 10.8 km 0% 100%
Banyabba 12.5 km 0% 100%
Fine Flower 13.2 km 0% 100%
Stockyard Creek 13.5 km 0% 100%
Pulganbar 14.1 km 0% 100%
Wombat Creek 14.8 km 0% 100%
Upper Fine Flower 14.8 km 0% 100%
Smiths Creek 15.0 km 0% 100%

See all Clarence Valley suburb profiles →