Forbes flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Forbes
(Forbes, NSW) - 980.41 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is relatively unconstrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
980.41 km² - this suburb is relatively unconstrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Forbes's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Forbes at a glance
How Forbes is zoned
Buying in Forbes? 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 980.41 km², Forbes is relatively unconstrained by planning overlays. About 2% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 2% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 131 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 1,621 m² across 7,136 parcels.
Who lives in Forbes
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Forbes 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 929, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Forbes's 8,157 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Forbes, the wider ABS statistical area containing Forbes. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Forbes itself.
10,785 in 2001 to 10,019 in 2025, down 7%.
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.
Forbes 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 | Watched, not yet sampled here | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 26 September 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 Forbes 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.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Forbes lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Forbes planning - frequently asked
Is Forbes flood-prone?
About 2% of Forbes falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 0%.
Is Forbes bushfire-prone?
Around 2% of Forbes is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Forbes average of 16%.
What is the zoning in Forbes?
The dominant planning zone in Forbes is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Large Lot Residential and Infrastructure.
Does Forbes have heritage-listed places?
Forbes has 131 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Forbes?
Across 7,136 surveyed parcels in Forbes, the median lot size is about 1,621 m². There are also 38 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Forbes have a train station?
There is no train station inside Forbes itself. The suburb is served by 1072 bus stops.
What is the population of Forbes?
At the 2021 Census Forbes had 8,157 usual residents, with a median age of 42 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Forbes statistical area, which contains Forbes, went from 10,785 people in 2001 to 10,019 in 2025, down 7%.
Is Forbes an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Forbes scores 929 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 Forbes?
Median household income in Forbes was $1,221 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,343 for the typical suburb in Forbes. Median rent was $230 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,257 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daroobalgie | 16.6 km | 0% | 28% |
| Tichborne Parkes |
18.8 km | 0% | <1% |
| Nelungaloo Parkes |
23.5 km | 0% | 2% |
| Mulyandry | 24.4 km | 0% | 8% |
| Jemalong | 25.1 km | 0% | 10% |
| Garema | 25.5 km | 0% | 1% |
| Gunning Gap | 27.2 km | 0% | 2% |
| Ooma | 28.4 km | 0% | <1% |
| Bedgerabong | 28.4 km | 0% | 6% |
| Gunningbland Parkes |
31.3 km | 0% | 11% |