Goonellabah flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Goonellabah
(Lismore, NSW) - 23.52 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is moderately constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
23.52 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Goonellabah'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 Goonellabah
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 2 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.
Goonellabah at a glance
How Goonellabah is zoned
Buying in Goonellabah? 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 23.52 km², Goonellabah is moderately constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 34% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 4 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 815 m² across 5,553 parcels.
Who lives in Goonellabah
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Goonellabah 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 939, and decile 3 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Goonellabah's 13,351 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Goonellabah, the wider ABS statistical area containing Goonellabah. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Goonellabah itself.
12,199 in 2001 to 14,177 in 2025, up 16%.
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.
Goonellabah 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 Goonellabah 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 Goonellabah lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Goonellabah planning - frequently asked
Is Goonellabah flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Goonellabah and less than 1% of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 46%).
Is Goonellabah bushfire-prone?
Around 34% of Goonellabah is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Lismore average of 33%.
Is Goonellabah under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 8% of Goonellabah in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 5,000 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 Goonellabah?
The dominant planning zone in Goonellabah is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes General Residential and Public Recreation.
Does Goonellabah have heritage-listed places?
Goonellabah has 4 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Goonellabah?
Across 5,553 surveyed parcels in Goonellabah, the median lot size is about 815 m². There are also 8 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Goonellabah have a train station?
There is no train station inside Goonellabah itself. The suburb is served by 137 bus stops.
What is the population of Goonellabah?
At the 2021 Census Goonellabah had 13,351 usual residents, with a median age of 41 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Goonellabah statistical area, which contains Goonellabah, went from 12,199 people in 2001 to 14,177 in 2025, up 16%.
Is Goonellabah an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Goonellabah scores 939 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 3 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Goonellabah?
Median household income in Goonellabah was $1,318 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,458 for the typical suburb in Lismore. Median rent was $320 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,560 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chilcotts Grass | 2.3 km | Not mapped | 79% |
| East Lismore | 3.3 km | 21% | 33% |
| Lismore Heights | 3.4 km | 8% | 22% |
| Monaltrie | 3.8 km | 38% | 13% |
| Lagoon Grass | 3.9 km | 66% | 5% |
| Lismore | 4.2 km | 53% | 22% |
| Girards Hill | 4.3 km | 27% | 22% |
| Howards Grass | 4.7 km | 84% | 10% |
| Richmond Hill | 4.9 km | 30% | 28% |
| Lindendale | 5.0 km | Not mapped | 35% |