Property Report / Areas / Shoalhaven / Culburra Beach

Culburra Beach zoning & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Culburra Beach (Shoalhaven, NSW) - 13.68 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Culburra Beach's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Culburra 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.

Culburra Beach at a glance

Parcels 2,331 Median lot 818 m² Mapped easements 7 Bus stops 87

How Culburra Beach is zoned

Deferred Matter 41%
Low Density Residential 18%
Environmental Conservation 11%
Natural Waterways 11%
Public Recreation 8%
Recreational Waterways 3%

Buying in Culburra 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 13.68 km², Culburra Beach is highly constrained by the planning overlays we hold. We hold no flood mapping covering this suburb, so no flood figure is shown - that is a gap in our data, not an all-clear. Of what is mapped, 71% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 5 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Deferred Matter. The median lot measures about 818 m² across 2,331 parcels.

Who lives in Culburra Beach

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

Population
2,946
usual residents, 2021
Median age
54
years
Median household income
$1,247
per week, Shoalhaven suburb typical $1,493
Median rent
$350
per week, Shoalhaven suburb typical $350
Median mortgage
$1,768
per month
Household size
2.2
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 4
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 960, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 5
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Culburra Beach's 2,946 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 4.8%
5-14 8.1%
15-19 3.9%
20-24 4.0%
25-34 10.2%
35-44 8.9%
45-54 10.4%
55-64 17.0%
65-74 16.6%
75-84 11.6%
85+ 4.5%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

5,476 in 2001 to 5,039 in 2025, down 8%.

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.

Culburra Beach data sources and coverage

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

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingNot mappedNSW 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 Culburra 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 52% of Culburra Beach. 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 Culburra Beach lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Culburra Beach planning - frequently asked

Is Culburra Beach flood-prone?

We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Culburra Beach, so this page can't say how much of the suburb is flood-affected - that is a gap in our data, not an indication that the suburb is free of flood risk. Shoalhaven is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.

Is Culburra Beach bushfire-prone?

Around 71% of Culburra Beach is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Shoalhaven average of 90%.

Is Culburra Beach under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 52% of Culburra Beach, and over about 63% 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 1,500 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 Culburra Beach?

The dominant planning zone in Culburra Beach is Deferred Matter, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Environmental Conservation.

Does Culburra Beach have heritage-listed places?

Culburra Beach has 5 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Culburra Beach?

Across 2,331 surveyed parcels in Culburra Beach, the median lot size is about 818 m². There are also 7 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Culburra Beach have a train station?

There is no train station inside Culburra Beach itself. The suburb is served by 87 bus stops.

What is the population of Culburra Beach?

At the 2021 Census Culburra Beach had 2,946 usual residents, with a median age of 54 and an average household size of 2.2 people. The wider Culburra Beach statistical area, which contains Culburra Beach, went from 5,476 people in 2001 to 5,039 in 2025, down 8%.

Is Culburra Beach an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Culburra Beach scores 960 and sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally and decile 4 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Culburra Beach?

Median household income in Culburra Beach was $1,247 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,493 for the typical suburb in Shoalhaven. Median rent was $350 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,768 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Orient Point 1.3 km Not mapped 60%
Greenwell Point 2.1 km Not mapped 31%
Wollumboola 4.1 km Not mapped 84%
Pyree 4.5 km Not mapped 98%
Comerong Island 4.6 km Not mapped 80%
Kinghorne 5.9 km Not mapped 99%
Numbaa 7.0 km Not mapped 88%
Mayfield 7.5 km Not mapped 100%
Shoalhaven Heads 8.0 km Not mapped 50%
Callala Bay 8.5 km Not mapped 84%

See all Shoalhaven suburb profiles →