Old Bar zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Old Bar
(Mid-Coast, NSW) - 24.46 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
24.46 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 Old Bar'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 Old Bar
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
Night movements: observed, lowest 4,000 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.
Old Bar at a glance
How Old Bar is zoned
Buying in Old Bar? 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 24.46 km², Old Bar 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, 67% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 3 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 700 m² across 2,398 parcels.
Who lives in Old Bar
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Old Bar 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 948, and decile 3 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Old Bar's 5,126 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Old Bar - Manning Point - Red Head, the wider ABS statistical area containing Old Bar. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Old Bar itself.
7,700 in 2001 to 13,450 in 2025, up 75%.
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.
Old Bar 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 Old Bar 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.
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 Old Bar lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Old Bar planning - frequently asked
Is Old Bar flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Old Bar, 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. Mid-Coast is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.
Is Old Bar bushfire-prone?
Around 67% of Old Bar is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Mid-Coast average of 94%.
Is Old Bar under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 12% of Old Bar in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 3,000 ft. 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 Old Bar?
The dominant planning zone in Old Bar is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Large Lot Residential and General Residential.
Does Old Bar have heritage-listed places?
Old Bar has 3 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Old Bar?
Across 2,398 surveyed parcels in Old Bar, the median lot size is about 700 m². There are also 5 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Old Bar have a train station?
There is no train station inside Old Bar itself. The suburb is served by 214 bus stops.
What is the population of Old Bar?
At the 2021 Census Old Bar had 5,126 usual residents, with a median age of 50 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Old Bar - Manning Point - Red Head statistical area, which contains Old Bar, went from 7,700 people in 2001 to 13,450 in 2025, up 75%.
Is Old Bar an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Old Bar scores 948 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 3 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Old Bar?
Median household income in Old Bar was $1,170 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,204 for the typical suburb in Mid-Coast. Median rent was $358 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,690 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bohnock | 1.8 km | Not mapped | 19% |
| Wallabi Point | 3.2 km | Not mapped | 92% |
| Cabbage Tree Island | 3.3 km | Not mapped | 67% |
| Pampoolah | 5.4 km | Not mapped | 91% |
| Saltwater | 5.5 km | Not mapped | 98% |
| Oxley Island | 5.6 km | Not mapped | 89% |
| Koorainghat | 6.4 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Diamond Beach | 7.9 km | Not mapped | 77% |
| Dumaresq Island | 8.3 km | Not mapped | 76% |
| Mitchells Island | 8.4 km | Not mapped | 85% |