Forresters Beach flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Forresters Beach
(Central Coast, NSW) - 2.83 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
2.83 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Forresters Beach'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 Forresters Beach
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 9,000 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.
Forresters Beach at a glance
How Forresters Beach is zoned
Buying in Forresters Beach? 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 2.83 km², Forresters Beach is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 25% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 80% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 682 m² across 1,231 parcels.
Who lives in Forresters Beach
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Forresters Beach 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 1056, and decile 8 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Forresters Beach's 3,354 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Wamberal - Forresters Beach, the wider ABS statistical area containing Forresters Beach. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Forresters Beach itself.
9,039 in 2001 to 10,897 in 2025, up 21%.
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.
Forresters Beach 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 Forresters Beach 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 73% of Forresters Beach. 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 Forresters Beach lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Forresters Beach planning - frequently asked
Is Forresters Beach flood-prone?
About 25% of Forresters Beach falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 30%.
Is Forresters Beach bushfire-prone?
Around 80% of Forresters Beach is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Central Coast average of 69%.
Is Forresters Beach under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 73% of Forresters Beach, and over about 99% 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 2,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 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 Forresters Beach?
The dominant planning zone in Forresters Beach is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Environmental Conservation.
Does Forresters Beach have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Forresters Beach.
What is the typical lot size in Forresters Beach?
Across 1,231 surveyed parcels in Forresters Beach, the median lot size is about 682 m². There are also 10 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Forresters Beach have a train station?
There is no train station inside Forresters Beach itself. The suburb is served by 60 bus stops.
What is the population of Forresters Beach?
At the 2021 Census Forresters Beach had 3,354 usual residents, with a median age of 44 and an average household size of 2.6 people. The wider Wamberal - Forresters Beach statistical area, which contains Forresters Beach, went from 9,039 people in 2001 to 10,897 in 2025, up 21%.
Is Forresters Beach an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Forresters Beach scores 1056 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 8 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Forresters Beach?
Median household income in Forresters Beach was $1,758 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,735 for the typical suburb in Central Coast. Median rent was $470 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,171 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wamberal | 1.5 km | 31% | 63% |
| Bateau Bay | 2.7 km | 34% | 53% |
| Matcham | 3.3 km | 7% | 91% |
| Shelly Beach | 4.7 km | 24% | 21% |
| Killarney Vale | 4.7 km | 50% | 20% |
| Tumbi Umbi | 5.0 km | 24% | 88% |
| Erina Heights | 5.1 km | 9% | 59% |
| Terrigal | 5.3 km | 18% | 59% |
| Holgate | 5.6 km | 8% | 97% |
| North Avoca | 5.9 km | 36% | 69% |