Planning Maps / Areas / Northern Beaches / Great Mackerel Beach

Great Mackerel Beach zoning & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Great Mackerel Beach (Northern Beaches, NSW) - 0.25 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we hold - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Great Mackerel Beach's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. It shows where constraints fall; the interactive map shows them on your exact address. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.

Great Mackerel Beach at a glance

Parcels 130 Median lot 625 m²

How Great Mackerel Beach is zoned

Environmental Conservation 56%
Environmental Management 41%
Public Recreation 3%
National Parks and Nature Reserves 0%

Buying in Great Mackerel 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 0.25 km², Great Mackerel Beach is highly constrained by the planning overlays we hold. We hold no flood mapping covering this suburb, so no flood figure is shown - that is a gap in our data, not an all-clear. Of what is mapped, 99% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 3 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 625 m² across 130 parcels. These figures are suburb-wide - the overlays that actually apply to a given lot can differ block to block, which is what a property-level check tells you.

Who lives in Great Mackerel Beach

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Great Mackerel Beach suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population
50
usual residents, 2021
Median age
57
years
Median household income
$1,124
per week, Northern Beaches suburb typical $2,778
Median rent
$350
per week, Northern Beaches suburb typical $700
Median mortgage
$862
per month
Household size
1.7
people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 10
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1111, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 10
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Bayview - Elanora Heights, the wider ABS statistical area containing Great Mackerel Beach. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Great Mackerel Beach itself.

10,768 in 2001 to 11,426 in 2025, up 6%.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Census of Population and Housing 2021 (General Community Profile) and SEIFA 2021, both published at the Suburbs and Localities level; Regional Population (estimated resident population) at Statistical Area Level 2. Used under CC BY 4.0. Census counts of small populations are randomly adjusted by the ABS to protect confidentiality, so figures for small suburbs are indicative.

Great Mackerel Beach data sources and coverage

Every figure below is an aggregate for the suburb boundary. “Not mapped” means LayeredGeo does not hold a source layer covering this suburb; it is never an all-clear for a particular property.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingNot mappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
ZoningMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)

Profile last materially updated 5 August 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 Great Mackerel 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.

See what's in the $9 report →

Great Mackerel Beach planning - frequently asked

Is Great Mackerel Beach flood-prone?

We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Great Mackerel Beach, so this page can't say how much of the suburb is flood-affected - that is a gap in our data, not an indication that the suburb is free of flood risk. Northern Beaches is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area. Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.

Is Great Mackerel Beach bushfire-prone?

Yes - around 99% of Great Mackerel Beach is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Northern Beaches average of 47%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.

What is the zoning in Great Mackerel Beach?

The dominant planning zone in Great Mackerel Beach is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes Environmental Management and Public Recreation. Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.

Does Great Mackerel Beach have heritage-listed places?

Great Mackerel Beach has 3 heritage-listed places on record. Heritage listing affects what you can alter or demolish, so confirm whether a specific property is listed or near a heritage place.

What is the typical lot size in Great Mackerel Beach?

Across 130 surveyed parcels in Great Mackerel Beach, the median lot size is about 625 m².

What is the population of Great Mackerel Beach?

At the 2021 Census Great Mackerel Beach had 50 usual residents, with a median age of 57 and an average household size of 1.7 people. The wider Bayview - Elanora Heights statistical area, which contains Great Mackerel Beach, went from 10,768 people in 2001 to 11,426 in 2025, up 6%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Great Mackerel Beach alone.

Is Great Mackerel Beach an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Great Mackerel Beach scores 1111 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within New South Wales - decile 1 being the most disadvantaged tenth of Australian suburbs and decile 10 the least. The national average score is 1000. SEIFA summarises income, education, occupation and housing across the whole suburb, so it describes the area, not any particular household in it.

What is the median household income in Great Mackerel Beach?

Median household income in Great Mackerel Beach was $1,124 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,778 for the typical suburb in Northern Beaches. Median rent was $350 a week and the median mortgage repayment $862 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.

Do I need a planning report for a Great Mackerel Beach property?

A Great Mackerel Beach planning report pulls every overlay - zoning, flood, bushfire, heritage and environmental - that touches a single lot, on live council and state data. The interactive map preview is free; a full PDF report is $9.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Currawong Beach 0.4 km Not mapped 100%
Coasters Retreat 1.5 km Not mapped 100%
Palm Beach 2.3 km Not mapped 48%
Pittwater 3.5 km Not mapped 12%
Whale Beach 3.8 km Not mapped 21%
Morning Bay 4.0 km Not mapped 100%
Lovett Bay 4.7 km Not mapped 100%
Avalon Beach 5.0 km Not mapped 23%
Clareville 5.0 km Not mapped 5%
Box Head
Central Coast
5.1 km Not mapped 17%

See all Northern Beaches suburb profiles →