Harwood flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Harwood
(Clarence Valley, NSW) - 23.52 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
23.52 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Harwood's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Harwood at a glance
How Harwood is zoned
Buying in Harwood? 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, Harwood is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 99% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 80% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 15 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 2,817 m² across 318 parcels.
Who lives in Harwood
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Harwood 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 883, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Harwood's 346 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Maclean - Yamba - Iluka, the wider ABS statistical area containing Harwood. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Harwood itself.
14,359 in 2001 to 18,562 in 2025, up 29%.
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.
Harwood 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 Harwood 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 Harwood lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Harwood planning - frequently asked
Is Harwood flood-prone?
About 99% of Harwood falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 24%.
Is Harwood bushfire-prone?
Around 80% of Harwood is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Clarence Valley average of 94%.
What is the zoning in Harwood?
The dominant planning zone in Harwood is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Recreational Waterways and Environmental Conservation.
Does Harwood have heritage-listed places?
Harwood has 15 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Harwood?
Across 318 surveyed parcels in Harwood, the median lot size is about 2,817 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Harwood have a train station?
There is no train station inside Harwood itself. The suburb is served by 16 bus stops.
What is the population of Harwood?
At the 2021 Census Harwood had 346 usual residents, with a median age of 45 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Maclean - Yamba - Iluka statistical area, which contains Harwood, went from 14,359 people in 2001 to 18,562 in 2025, up 29%.
Is Harwood an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Harwood scores 883 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Harwood?
Median household income in Harwood was $1,101 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,187 for the typical suburb in Clarence Valley. Median rent was $330 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,300 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatsworth | 2.6 km | 99% | 93% |
| Warregah Island | 3.5 km | 100% | 82% |
| Palmers Island | 4.0 km | 98% | 80% |
| Ashby Island | 4.4 km | 100% | 80% |
| James Creek | 4.5 km | 56% | 94% |
| Palmers Channel | 5.5 km | 97% | 98% |
| Maclean | 5.6 km | 65% | 61% |
| Townsend | 6.1 km | 46% | 73% |
| Ashby | 6.8 km | 35% | 87% |
| Micalo Island | 7.3 km | 100% | 93% |