Property Report / Areas / Port Stephens / Lemon Tree Passage

Lemon Tree Passage flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Lemon Tree Passage (Port Stephens, NSW) - 3.16 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Lemon Tree Passage'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 Lemon Tree Passage

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.

Lemon Tree Passage at a glance

Parcels 1,398 Median lot 626 m² Mapped easements 9 Bus stops 36

How Lemon Tree Passage is zoned

Environmental Conservation 43%
Low Density Residential 36%
Public Recreation 10%
Special Activities 5%
General Industrial 2%
Infrastructure 2%

Buying in Lemon Tree Passage? 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 3.16 km², Lemon Tree Passage is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 34% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 69% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 626 m² across 1,398 parcels.

Who lives in Lemon Tree Passage

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

Population
2,686
usual residents, 2021
Median age
52
years
Median household income
$1,071
per week, Port Stephens suburb typical $1,421
Median rent
$365
per week, Port Stephens suburb typical $365
Median mortgage
$1,600
per month
Household size
2.3
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 898, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Lemon Tree Passage's 2,686 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 4.6%
5-14 10.7%
15-19 4.6%
20-24 4.0%
25-34 7.7%
35-44 9.3%
45-54 11.7%
55-64 17.9%
65-74 18.7%
75-84 9.3%
85+ 1.5%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Lemon Tree Passage - Tanilba Bay, the wider ABS statistical area containing Lemon Tree Passage. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Lemon Tree Passage itself.

5,865 in 2001 to 7,065 in 2025, up 20%.

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.

Lemon Tree Passage 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 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 Lemon Tree Passage 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 38% of Lemon Tree Passage. 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 Lemon Tree Passage lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Lemon Tree Passage planning - frequently asked

Is Lemon Tree Passage flood-prone?

About 34% of Lemon Tree Passage falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 45%.

Is Lemon Tree Passage bushfire-prone?

Around 69% of Lemon Tree Passage is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Port Stephens average of 82%.

Is Lemon Tree Passage under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 38% of Lemon Tree Passage, and over about 54% 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 Lemon Tree Passage?

The dominant planning zone in Lemon Tree Passage is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Public Recreation.

Does Lemon Tree Passage have heritage-listed places?

Lemon Tree Passage has 1 heritage-listed place on record.

What is the typical lot size in Lemon Tree Passage?

Across 1,398 surveyed parcels in Lemon Tree Passage, the median lot size is about 626 m². There are also 9 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Lemon Tree Passage have a train station?

There is no train station inside Lemon Tree Passage itself. The suburb is served by 36 bus stops.

What is the population of Lemon Tree Passage?

At the 2021 Census Lemon Tree Passage had 2,686 usual residents, with a median age of 52 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Lemon Tree Passage - Tanilba Bay statistical area, which contains Lemon Tree Passage, went from 5,865 people in 2001 to 7,065 in 2025, up 20%.

Is Lemon Tree Passage an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Lemon Tree Passage scores 898 and sits in decile 2 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 Lemon Tree Passage?

Median household income in Lemon Tree Passage was $1,071 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,421 for the typical suburb in Port Stephens. Median rent was $365 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,600 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Mallabula 1.5 km 60% 83%
Taylors Beach 3.3 km 77% 97%
Soldiers Point 4.3 km 26% 23%
Tanilba Bay 4.7 km 65% 86%
Salamander Bay 5.5 km 52% 75%
Anna Bay 5.6 km 58% 76%
Bobs Farm 5.8 km 36% 79%
Tilligerry Creek 5.9 km 100% 28%
Port Stephens 6.4 km 96% 4%
Bundabah
Mid-Coast
7.6 km Not mapped 96%

See all Port Stephens suburb profiles →