Cudgen flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Cudgen
(Tweed, NSW) - 10.22 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
10.22 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Cudgen'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 Cudgen
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
typical observed square 6 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 5,000 ft - night is sampled as often as day, but night traffic is light, so this is a floor and no rate can be put on it.
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.
Cudgen at a glance
How Cudgen is zoned
Buying in Cudgen? 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 10.22 km², Cudgen is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 25% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 54% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 4 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 722 m² across 482 parcels.
Who lives in Cudgen
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Cudgen 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 1003, and decile 6 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Cudgen's 952 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Kingscliff - Fingal Head, the wider ABS statistical area containing Cudgen. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Cudgen itself.
8,525 in 2001 to 15,489 in 2025, up 82%.
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.
Cudgen 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 Cudgen 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 63% of Cudgen. 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 Cudgen lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Cudgen planning - frequently asked
Is Cudgen flood-prone?
About 25% of Cudgen falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 29%.
Is Cudgen bushfire-prone?
Around 54% of Cudgen is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Tweed average of 91%.
Is Cudgen under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 63% of Cudgen, and over about 94% 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 500 ft, with an average of 3,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 38 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 Cudgen?
The dominant planning zone in Cudgen is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Deferred Matter.
Does Cudgen have heritage-listed places?
Cudgen has 4 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Cudgen?
Across 482 surveyed parcels in Cudgen, the median lot size is about 722 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Cudgen have a train station?
There is no train station inside Cudgen itself. The suburb is served by 16 bus stops.
What is the population of Cudgen?
At the 2021 Census Cudgen had 952 usual residents, with a median age of 39 and an average household size of 2.9 people. The wider Kingscliff - Fingal Head statistical area, which contains Cudgen, went from 8,525 people in 2001 to 15,489 in 2025, up 82%.
Is Cudgen an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Cudgen scores 1003 and sits in decile 6 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 Cudgen?
Median household income in Cudgen was $1,893 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,394 for the typical suburb in Tweed. Median rent was $440 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,929 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chinderah | 2.7 km | 99% | 64% |
| Kingscliff | 3.3 km | 44% | 37% |
| Kings Forest | 3.3 km | 59% | 100% |
| Duranbah | 3.7 km | 25% | 91% |
| Stotts Creek | 3.8 km | 85% | 96% |
| Casuarina | 4.1 km | 30% | 59% |
| Terranora | 5.4 km | 30% | 70% |
| Banora Point | 5.4 km | 55% | 18% |
| Tumbulgum | 6.7 km | 100% | 92% |
| Bogangar | 6.7 km | 63% | 70% |