Pelican zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Pelican
(Lake Macquarie, NSW) - 1.17 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
1.17 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 Pelican'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 Pelican
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: observed, lowest 1,500 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.
Pelican at a glance
How Pelican is zoned
Buying in Pelican? 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 1.17 km², Pelican 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, 53% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 4 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Natural Waterways. The median lot measures about 650 m² across 398 parcels.
Who lives in Pelican
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Pelican 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 959, and decile 3 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Pelican's 874 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Belmont South - Blacksmiths, the wider ABS statistical area containing Pelican. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Pelican itself.
5,639 in 2001 to 5,777 in 2025, up 2%.
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.
Pelican 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 Pelican 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 15% of Pelican. 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 Pelican lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Pelican planning - frequently asked
Is Pelican flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Pelican, 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. Lake Macquarie is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.
Is Pelican bushfire-prone?
Around 53% of Pelican is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Lake Macquarie average of 65%.
Is Pelican under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 15% of Pelican, and over about 62% 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 6,000 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 Pelican?
The dominant planning zone in Pelican is Natural Waterways, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Environmental Conservation.
Does Pelican have heritage-listed places?
Pelican has 4 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Pelican?
Across 398 surveyed parcels in Pelican, the median lot size is about 650 m².
Does Pelican have a train station?
There is no train station inside Pelican itself. The suburb is served by 17 bus stops.
What is the population of Pelican?
At the 2021 Census Pelican had 874 usual residents, with a median age of 48 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Belmont South - Blacksmiths statistical area, which contains Pelican, went from 5,639 people in 2001 to 5,777 in 2025, up 2%.
Is Pelican an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Pelican scores 959 and sits in decile 4 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 Pelican?
Median household income in Pelican was $1,448 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,636 for the typical suburb in Lake Macquarie. Median rent was $370 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,785 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Blacksmiths | 0.9 km | Not mapped | 45% |
| Little Pelican | 1.1 km | Not mapped | 33% |
| Marks Point | 1.3 km | Not mapped | 37% |
| Swansea | 2.0 km | Not mapped | 39% |
| Belmont South | 2.5 km | Not mapped | 67% |
| Swansea Heads | 2.7 km | Not mapped | 86% |
| Lake Macquarie | 2.8 km | 30% | 5% |
| Caves Beach | 4.2 km | Not mapped | 50% |
| Coal Point | 4.7 km | Not mapped | 28% |
| Pinny Beach | 5.0 km | Not mapped | 100% |