Fennell Bay zoning & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Fennell Bay (Lake Macquarie, NSW) - 2.78 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 Fennell Bay'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 Fennell 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.

Fennell Bay at a glance

Parcels 734 Median lot 693 m² Bus stops 29

How Fennell Bay is zoned

Transition 65%
Low Density Residential 20%
Medium Density Residential 8%
Infrastructure 5%
Public Recreation 2%
Natural Waterways 0%

Buying in Fennell 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 2.78 km², Fennell Bay 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, 75% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 2 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Transition. The median lot measures about 693 m² across 734 parcels.

Who lives in Fennell Bay

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

Population
1,780
usual residents, 2021
Median age
45
years
Median household income
$1,375
per week, Lake Macquarie suburb typical $1,636
Median rent
$368
per week, Lake Macquarie suburb typical $390
Median mortgage
$1,734
per month
Household size
2.4
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 3
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 928, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 3
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Fennell Bay's 1,780 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 4.9%
5-14 9.7%
15-19 5.2%
20-24 7.1%
25-34 12.1%
35-44 10.9%
45-54 12.1%
55-64 14.0%
65-74 13.4%
75-84 8.0%
85+ 2.6%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Bolton Point - Teralba, the wider ABS statistical area containing Fennell Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Fennell Bay itself.

9,170 in 2001 to 10,625 in 2025, up 16%.

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.

Fennell Bay 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 Fennell 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 62% of Fennell 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 Fennell Bay lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Fennell Bay planning - frequently asked

Is Fennell Bay flood-prone?

We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Fennell Bay, 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. Lake Macquarie is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.

Is Fennell Bay bushfire-prone?

Around 75% of Fennell Bay is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Lake Macquarie average of 65%.

Is Fennell Bay under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 62% of Fennell Bay, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 6 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 Fennell Bay?

The dominant planning zone in Fennell Bay is Transition, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Medium Density Residential.

Does Fennell Bay have heritage-listed places?

Fennell Bay has 2 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Fennell Bay?

Across 734 surveyed parcels in Fennell Bay, the median lot size is about 693 m².

Does Fennell Bay have a train station?

There is no train station inside Fennell Bay itself. The suburb is served by 29 bus stops.

What is the population of Fennell Bay?

At the 2021 Census Fennell Bay had 1,780 usual residents, with a median age of 45 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Bolton Point - Teralba statistical area, which contains Fennell Bay, went from 9,170 people in 2001 to 10,625 in 2025, up 16%.

Is Fennell Bay an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Fennell Bay scores 928 and sits in decile 3 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 Fennell Bay?

Median household income in Fennell Bay was $1,375 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,636 for the typical suburb in Lake Macquarie. Median rent was $368 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,734 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Woodrising 0.9 km Not mapped 67%
Marmong Point 1.6 km Not mapped 76%
Booragul 1.7 km Not mapped 26%
Fassifern 1.8 km Not mapped 93%
Bolton Point 1.9 km Not mapped 62%
Blackalls Park 2.3 km Not mapped 56%
Teralba 3.5 km Not mapped 83%
Speers Point 3.6 km Not mapped 33%
Toronto 3.8 km Not mapped 72%
Wakefield 4.2 km Not mapped 95%

See all Lake Macquarie suburb profiles →