Lawrence flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Lawrence (Clarence Valley, NSW) - 132.6 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Lawrence's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Lawrence

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.

Lawrence at a glance

Parcels 1,035 Median lot 2,121 m² Mapped easements 6 Bus stops 97

How Lawrence is zoned

Rural Landscape 44%
Primary Production 22%
Natural Waterways 14%
Environmental Conservation 6%
National Parks and Nature Reserves 6%
Environmental Management 3%

Buying in Lawrence? 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 132.6 km², Lawrence is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 42% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 83% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 16 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 2,121 m² across 1,035 parcels.

Who lives in Lawrence

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

Population
1,159
usual residents, 2021
Median age
54
years
Median household income
$1,104
per week, Clarence Valley suburb typical $1,187
Median rent
$330
per week, Clarence Valley suburb typical $300
Median mortgage
$1,333
per month
Household size
2.4
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 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 910, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Lawrence's 1,159 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 5.9%
5-14 10.7%
15-19 3.9%
20-24 2.8%
25-34 8.3%
35-44 8.0%
45-54 11.1%
55-64 16.0%
65-74 19.3%
75-84 11.7%
85+ 2.2%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Grafton Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Lawrence. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Lawrence itself.

14,917 in 2001 to 18,099 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.

Lawrence data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedNSW 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
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Lawrence planning - frequently asked

Is Lawrence flood-prone?

About 42% of Lawrence falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 24%.

Is Lawrence bushfire-prone?

Around 83% of Lawrence is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Clarence Valley average of 94%.

Is Lawrence under a flight path?

No aircraft were observed over Lawrence in the period sampled (recent weeks to now). Sampling is intermittent, so that is a floor rather than proof that none fly over. 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 Lawrence?

The dominant planning zone in Lawrence is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Primary Production and Natural Waterways.

Does Lawrence have heritage-listed places?

Lawrence has 16 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Lawrence?

Across 1,035 surveyed parcels in Lawrence, the median lot size is about 2,121 m². There are also 6 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Lawrence have a train station?

There is no train station inside Lawrence itself. The suburb is served by 97 bus stops.

What is the population of Lawrence?

At the 2021 Census Lawrence had 1,159 usual residents, with a median age of 54 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Grafton Surrounds statistical area, which contains Lawrence, went from 14,917 people in 2001 to 18,099 in 2025, up 21%.

Is Lawrence an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Lawrence scores 910 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Lawrence?

Median household income in Lawrence was $1,104 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 $1,333 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Tullymorgan 7.1 km 18% 100%
Woodford Island 8.4 km 80% 91%
Ashby 8.7 km 35% 87%
Ilarwill 9.2 km 32% 97%
Ashby Heights 9.7 km 13% 99%
Ashby Island 10.7 km 100% 80%
Gurranang 10.7 km 0% 100%
South Arm 10.9 km 68% 96%
Maclean 11.0 km 65% 61%
Lower Southgate 11.2 km 63% 96%

See all Clarence Valley suburb profiles →