Emerald Beach flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Emerald Beach
(Coffs Harbour, NSW) - 14.85 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
14.85 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Emerald 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 Emerald 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 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.
Emerald Beach at a glance
How Emerald Beach is zoned
Buying in Emerald 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 14.85 km², Emerald Beach is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 24% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 96% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 3 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Forestry. The median lot measures about 643 m² across 1,074 parcels.
Who lives in Emerald Beach
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Emerald 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 1013, and decile 6 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Emerald Beach's 2,677 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Korora - Emerald Beach, the wider ABS statistical area containing Emerald Beach. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Emerald Beach itself.
6,726 in 2001 to 11,008 in 2025, up 64%.
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.
Emerald 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 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 Emerald 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 6% of Emerald 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 Emerald 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 Emerald Beach lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Emerald Beach planning - frequently asked
Is Emerald Beach flood-prone?
About 24% of Emerald Beach falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 21%. Published flood models are held over parts of Emerald Beach; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Emerald Beach bushfire-prone?
Around 96% of Emerald Beach is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Coffs Harbour average of 88%.
Is Emerald Beach under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 6% of Emerald Beach, and over about 22% 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 2,000 ft, with an average of 4,500 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 Emerald Beach?
The dominant planning zone in Emerald Beach is Forestry, though the suburb also includes Large Lot Residential and Rural Landscape.
Does Emerald Beach have heritage-listed places?
Emerald Beach has 3 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Emerald Beach?
Across 1,074 surveyed parcels in Emerald Beach, the median lot size is about 643 m². There are also 4 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Emerald Beach have a train station?
There is no train station inside Emerald Beach itself. The suburb is served by 64 bus stops.
What is the population of Emerald Beach?
At the 2021 Census Emerald Beach had 2,677 usual residents, with a median age of 41 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Korora - Emerald Beach statistical area, which contains Emerald Beach, went from 6,726 people in 2001 to 11,008 in 2025, up 64%.
Is Emerald Beach an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Emerald Beach scores 1013 and sits in decile 7 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 Emerald Beach?
Median household income in Emerald Beach was $1,813 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,550 for the typical suburb in Coffs Harbour. Median rent was $463 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,950 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandy Beach | 2.6 km | 28% | 74% |
| Moonee Beach | 3.9 km | 41% | 91% |
| Bucca | 5.2 km | 13% | 96% |
| Woolgoolga | 7.6 km | 7% | 89% |
| Sapphire Beach | 8.1 km | 15% | 86% |
| Safety Beach | 8.3 km | 35% | 69% |
| Mullaway | 9.2 km | 9% | 90% |
| Korora | 10.8 km | 0% | 85% |
| Arrawarra Headland | 11.0 km | 12% | 93% |
| Arrawarra | 12.6 km | 58% | 92% |