Forbesdale flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Forbesdale
(Mid-Coast, NSW) - 37.64 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
37.64 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Forbesdale's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Amber hatching is the published aircraft noise (ANEF) contour. 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 Forbesdale
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.
Inside an aircraft noise contour
98% of the suburb's land sits inside a published ANEF or airport-environs contour. Contours vary street by street, so whether a particular lot is inside one needs a property-level check.
Contours held
- NSW planning (EPI) airport noise
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 26 Sep 2026
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.
Forbesdale at a glance
How Forbesdale is zoned
Buying in Forbesdale? 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 37.64 km², Forbesdale is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 21% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 47,055 m² across 100 parcels.
Who lives in Forbesdale
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Forbesdale 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 994, and decile 5 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Forbesdale's 170 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Gloucester, the wider ABS statistical area containing Forbesdale. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Forbesdale itself.
4,888 in 2001 to 5,379 in 2025, up 10%.
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.
Forbesdale 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) | Inside a held contour | 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 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 Forbesdale 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.
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 Forbesdale lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Forbesdale planning - frequently asked
Is Forbesdale flood-prone?
About 21% of Forbesdale falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 7%.
Is Forbesdale bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Forbesdale is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Mid-Coast average of 94%.
Is Forbesdale affected by aircraft noise?
About 98% of Forbesdale sits inside a published aircraft noise contour. ANEF contours are forecasts published per airport and used to control noise-sensitive development; they are not a measurement at any one house, and a property can sit under a flight path and outside every contour.
Is Forbesdale under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 4% of Forbesdale in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 6,500 ft. 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 Forbesdale?
The dominant planning zone in Forbesdale is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Environmental Management and Large Lot Residential.
Does Forbesdale have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Forbesdale.
What is the typical lot size in Forbesdale?
Across 100 surveyed parcels in Forbesdale, the median lot size is about 47,055 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Forbesdale?
At the 2021 Census Forbesdale had 170 usual residents, with a median age of 54 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Gloucester statistical area, which contains Forbesdale, went from 4,888 people in 2001 to 5,379 in 2025, up 10%.
Is Forbesdale an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Forbesdale scores 994 and sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally and decile 5 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Forbesdale?
Median household income in Forbesdale was $1,333 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,204 for the typical suburb in Mid-Coast. Median rent was $340 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,127 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stratford | 4.7 km | 16% | 99% |
| Faulkland | 6.7 km | 7% | 100% |
| Gloucester | 7.1 km | 25% | 90% |
| Mograni | 8.2 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Waukivory | 8.3 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Craven | 9.2 km | 3% | 100% |
| Tugrabakh | 10.9 km | 2% | 100% |
| Barrington | 11.1 km | 14% | 98% |
| Gangat | 12.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Wallanbah | 12.3 km | Not mapped | 100% |