Ocean Shores flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Ocean Shores
(Byron, NSW) - 13.23 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
13.23 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Ocean Shores'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 Ocean Shores
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 1 a day
Night movements: not established - night is sampled as often as day, but too few night flights have been seen here to conclude either way.
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.
Ocean Shores at a glance
How Ocean Shores is zoned
Buying in Ocean Shores? 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 13.23 km², Ocean Shores is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 54% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 81% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 13 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 923 m² across 2,249 parcels.
Who lives in Ocean Shores
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Ocean Shores 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 998, and decile 6 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Ocean Shores's 5,777 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Brunswick Heads - Ocean Shores, the wider ABS statistical area containing Ocean Shores. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Ocean Shores itself.
7,269 in 2001 to 9,765 in 2025, up 34%.
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.
Ocean Shores 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 | 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 Ocean Shores 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 68% of Ocean Shores. 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 Ocean Shores lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Ocean Shores planning - frequently asked
Is Ocean Shores flood-prone?
About 54% of Ocean Shores falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 22%.
Is Ocean Shores bushfire-prone?
Around 81% of Ocean Shores is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Byron average of 94%.
Is Ocean Shores under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 68% of Ocean Shores, and over about 88% 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 1,000 ft, with an average of 2,500 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 Ocean Shores?
The dominant planning zone in Ocean Shores is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Rural Landscape.
Does Ocean Shores have heritage-listed places?
Ocean Shores has 13 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Ocean Shores?
Across 2,249 surveyed parcels in Ocean Shores, the median lot size is about 923 m². There are also 10 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Ocean Shores have a train station?
There is no train station inside Ocean Shores itself. The suburb is served by 27 bus stops.
What is the population of Ocean Shores?
At the 2021 Census Ocean Shores had 5,777 usual residents, with a median age of 43 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Brunswick Heads - Ocean Shores statistical area, which contains Ocean Shores, went from 7,269 people in 2001 to 9,765 in 2025, up 34%.
Is Ocean Shores an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Ocean Shores scores 998 and sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally and decile 6 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Ocean Shores?
Median household income in Ocean Shores was $1,471 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,634 for the typical suburb in Byron. Median rent was $508 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,893 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Golden Beach | 1.4 km | 89% | 67% |
| New Brighton | 1.6 km | 69% | 71% |
| Billinudgel | 2.1 km | 30% | 100% |
| Yelgun | 5.3 km | 9% | 100% |
| Brunswick Heads | 5.5 km | 58% | 95% |
| Mullumbimby | 6.0 km | 54% | 92% |
| Wooyung Tweed |
6.5 km | 76% | 98% |
| The Pocket | 6.7 km | 13% | 100% |
| Middle Pocket | 7.0 km | 8% | 100% |
| Crabbes Creek Tweed |
7.4 km | 22% | 100% |