Empire Bay flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Empire Bay
(Central Coast, NSW) - 5.63 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
5.63 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Empire 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 Empire 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
typical observed square 1 a day
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.
Empire Bay at a glance
How Empire Bay is zoned
Buying in Empire 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 5.63 km², Empire Bay is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 60% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 61% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 10 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Recreational Waterways. The median lot measures about 788 m² across 939 parcels.
Who lives in Empire Bay
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Empire 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 1015, and decile 6 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Empire Bay's 2,522 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Box Head - MacMasters Beach, the wider ABS statistical area containing Empire Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Empire Bay itself.
10,153 in 2001 to 11,289 in 2025, up 11%.
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.
Empire 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 Empire 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 72% of Empire 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 Empire Bay lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Empire Bay planning - frequently asked
Is Empire Bay flood-prone?
About 60% of Empire Bay falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 30%.
Is Empire Bay bushfire-prone?
Around 61% of Empire Bay is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Central Coast average of 69%.
Is Empire Bay under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 72% of Empire Bay, and over about 92% 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 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 Empire Bay?
The dominant planning zone in Empire Bay is Recreational Waterways, though the suburb also includes Environmental Living and National Parks and Nature Reserves.
Does Empire Bay have heritage-listed places?
Empire Bay has 10 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Empire Bay?
Across 939 surveyed parcels in Empire Bay, the median lot size is about 788 m². There are also 24 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Empire Bay have a train station?
There is no train station inside Empire Bay itself. The suburb is served by 60 bus stops and 2 ferry terminals.
What is the population of Empire Bay?
At the 2021 Census Empire Bay had 2,522 usual residents, with a median age of 42 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Box Head - MacMasters Beach statistical area, which contains Empire Bay, went from 10,153 people in 2001 to 11,289 in 2025, up 11%.
Is Empire Bay an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Empire Bay scores 1015 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 Empire Bay?
Median household income in Empire Bay was $1,884 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,735 for the typical suburb in Central Coast. Median rent was $410 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,165 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daleys Point | 1.4 km | 32% | 69% |
| Davistown | 2.1 km | 95% | 20% |
| Booker Bay | 2.2 km | 82% | <1% |
| Killcare | 2.2 km | 39% | 68% |
| Kincumber South | 2.4 km | 66% | 56% |
| Killcare Heights | 2.4 km | <1% | 94% |
| St Huberts Island | 2.5 km | 97% | 0% |
| Bensville | 2.5 km | 29% | 90% |
| Hardys Bay | 2.9 km | 4% | 91% |
| Blackwall | 3.0 km | 48% | 43% |