Fernbank Creek flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Fernbank Creek
(Port Macquarie-Hastings, NSW) - 14.16 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
14.16 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Fernbank Creek'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 Fernbank Creek
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 3 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.
Fernbank Creek at a glance
How Fernbank Creek is zoned
Buying in Fernbank Creek? 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 14.16 km², Fernbank Creek is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 87% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 91% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 10,969 m² across 198 parcels.
Who lives in Fernbank Creek
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Fernbank Creek 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 1019, and decile 7 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Fernbank Creek's 122 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Port Macquarie - West, the wider ABS statistical area containing Fernbank Creek. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Fernbank Creek itself.
12,360 in 2001 to 23,991 in 2025, up 94%.
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.
Fernbank Creek 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 Fernbank Creek 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 94% of Fernbank Creek. 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 Fernbank Creek lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Fernbank Creek planning - frequently asked
Is Fernbank Creek flood-prone?
About 87% of Fernbank Creek falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 36%.
Is Fernbank Creek bushfire-prone?
Around 91% of Fernbank Creek is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Port Macquarie-Hastings average of 93%.
Is Fernbank Creek under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 94% of Fernbank Creek, and over about 98% 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 1,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 25 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 Fernbank Creek?
The dominant planning zone in Fernbank Creek is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Recreational Waterways.
Does Fernbank Creek have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Fernbank Creek.
What is the typical lot size in Fernbank Creek?
Across 198 surveyed parcels in Fernbank Creek, the median lot size is about 10,969 m². There are also 4 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Fernbank Creek have a train station?
There is no train station inside Fernbank Creek itself. The suburb is served by 6 bus stops.
What is the population of Fernbank Creek?
At the 2021 Census Fernbank Creek had 122 usual residents, with a median age of 50 and an average household size of 2.8 people. The wider Port Macquarie - West statistical area, which contains Fernbank Creek, went from 12,360 people in 2001 to 23,991 in 2025, up 94%.
Is Fernbank Creek an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Fernbank Creek scores 1019 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 7 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Fernbank Creek?
Median household income in Fernbank Creek was $1,625 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,381 for the typical suburb in Port Macquarie-Hastings. Median rent was $275 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,625 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blackmans Point | 3.6 km | 86% | 87% |
| Thrumster | 4.0 km | 35% | 86% |
| Riverside | 4.1 km | 74% | 78% |
| Rawdon Island | 4.9 km | 95% | 82% |
| Sancrox | 4.9 km | 33% | 92% |
| Port Macquarie | 6.7 km | 38% | 52% |
| North Shore | 6.8 km | 90% | 88% |
| The Hatch | 7.4 km | 89% | 99% |
| Lake Innes | 9.4 km | 38% | 87% |
| Redbank | 10.1 km | 36% | 96% |