Nambucca Heads zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Nambucca Heads
(Nambucca Valley, NSW) - 31.12 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
31.12 km² - this suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Nambucca Heads's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Nambucca Heads
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 5,500 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.
Nambucca Heads at a glance
How Nambucca Heads is zoned
Buying in Nambucca Heads? 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 31.12 km², Nambucca Heads 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, 78% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 6 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Forestry. The median lot measures about 722 m² across 3,023 parcels.
Who lives in Nambucca Heads
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Nambucca Heads 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 860, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Nambucca Heads's 6,675 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Nambucca Heads, the wider ABS statistical area containing Nambucca Heads. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Nambucca Heads itself.
6,697 in 2001 to 7,304 in 2025, up 9%.
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.
Nambucca Heads data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Not 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 Nambucca Heads 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 2% of Nambucca Heads. 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 Nambucca Heads lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Nambucca Heads planning - frequently asked
Is Nambucca Heads flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Nambucca Heads, 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. Nambucca Valley is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.
Is Nambucca Heads bushfire-prone?
Around 78% of Nambucca Heads is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Nambucca Valley average of 94%.
Is Nambucca Heads under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 2% of Nambucca Heads, and over about 23% 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 2,000 ft, with an average of 7,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 2 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 Nambucca Heads?
The dominant planning zone in Nambucca Heads is Forestry, though the suburb also includes General Residential and Recreational Waterways.
Does Nambucca Heads have heritage-listed places?
Nambucca Heads has 6 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Nambucca Heads?
Across 3,023 surveyed parcels in Nambucca Heads, the median lot size is about 722 m². There are also 16 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Nambucca Heads have a train station?
Yes - Nambucca Heads has 1 train station: Nambucca Heads Station. It is also served by 65 bus stops.
What is the population of Nambucca Heads?
At the 2021 Census Nambucca Heads had 6,675 usual residents, with a median age of 57 and an average household size of 2.0 people. The wider Nambucca Heads statistical area, which contains Nambucca Heads, went from 6,697 people in 2001 to 7,304 in 2025, up 9%.
Is Nambucca Heads an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Nambucca Heads scores 860 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 Nambucca Heads?
Median household income in Nambucca Heads was $839 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,042 for the typical suburb in Nambucca Valley. Median rent was $280 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,300 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hyland Park | 3.4 km | Not mapped | 96% |
| Newee Creek | 4.7 km | Not mapped | 96% |
| Valla Beach | 6.3 km | Not mapped | 90% |
| North Macksville | 6.3 km | Not mapped | 86% |
| Wirrimbi | 6.6 km | Not mapped | 89% |
| Scotts Head | 6.8 km | Not mapped | 87% |
| Gumma | 7.5 km | Not mapped | 93% |
| Valla | 7.6 km | Not mapped | 96% |
| Tewinga | 8.4 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Congarinni North | 10.7 km | Not mapped | 94% |