Fern Bay flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Fern Bay
(Port Stephens, NSW) - 8.4 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
8.4 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Fern 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 Fern 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: observed, lowest 1,500 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.
Fern Bay at a glance
How Fern Bay is zoned
Buying in Fern 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 8.4 km², Fern Bay is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 20% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 65% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 3 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 579 m² across 1,079 parcels.
Who lives in Fern Bay
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Fern 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 1001, and decile 6 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Fern Bay's 4,046 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Stockton - Fullerton Cove, the wider ABS statistical area containing Fern Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Fern Bay itself.
6,145 in 2001 to 9,709 in 2025, up 58%.
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.
Fern 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 Fern 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 33% of Fern 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 Fern Bay lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Fern Bay planning - frequently asked
Is Fern Bay flood-prone?
About 20% of Fern Bay falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 45%.
Is Fern Bay bushfire-prone?
Around 65% of Fern Bay is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Port Stephens average of 82%.
Is Fern Bay under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 33% of Fern Bay, and over about 84% 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 4,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 2 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 Fern Bay?
The dominant planning zone in Fern Bay is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Low Density Residential.
Does Fern Bay have heritage-listed places?
Fern Bay has 3 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Fern Bay?
Across 1,079 surveyed parcels in Fern Bay, the median lot size is about 579 m².
Does Fern Bay have a train station?
There is no train station inside Fern Bay itself. The suburb is served by 37 bus stops.
What is the population of Fern Bay?
At the 2021 Census Fern Bay had 4,046 usual residents, with a median age of 43 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Stockton - Fullerton Cove statistical area, which contains Fern Bay, went from 6,145 people in 2001 to 9,709 in 2025, up 58%.
Is Fern Bay an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Fern Bay scores 1001 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 Fern Bay?
Median household income in Fern Bay was $1,435 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,421 for the typical suburb in Port Stephens. Median rent was $510 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,299 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fullerton Cove | 2.8 km | 70% | 51% |
| Stockton Newcastle |
4.3 km | 20% | 26% |
| Kooragang Newcastle |
5.9 km | 78% | 2% |
| Williamtown | 6.3 km | 48% | 88% |
| Newcastle Newcastle |
6.3 km | 83% | 0% |
| Mayfield North Newcastle |
6.4 km | 54% | 0% |
| Carrington Newcastle |
7.0 km | 81% | 0% |
| Mayfield East Newcastle |
7.0 km | 25% | 0% |
| Tighes Hill Newcastle |
7.1 km | 52% | 0% |
| Newcastle East Newcastle |
7.3 km | 34% | 0% |