Pretty Beach flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Pretty Beach (Central Coast, NSW) - 0.94 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.

Planning schematicPretty Beach

Constraint readout

0.94 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.

Flood overlay 52%

1.7× council avg (30%) · #28 of 148 mapped council suburbs

Bushfire-prone 54%

≈ council avg (69%) · #110 of 150 mapped council suburbs

Environmental18%

below council avg (38%) · #102 of 150 in council

Heritage sites 14 Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 82% Mostly Recreational Waterways Flood 28th most affected of 148 → Bushfire 110th most affected of 150 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Pretty Beach'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 Pretty Beach

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

Under observed aircraft

82%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

82%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

500 ft

averaging 2,000 ft

Busiest square

~1 a day

1 a day below 3,000 ft · ±19% · area average
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.

Pretty Beach at a glance

Parcels 268 Median lot 713 m² Mapped easements 2 Bus stops 8

How Pretty Beach is zoned

Recreational Waterways 45%

Low Density Residential 29%

Environmental Conservation 9%

Environmental Management 5%

Infrastructure 5%

National Parks and Nature Reserves 3%

Buying in Pretty Beach? 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 0.94 km², Pretty Beach is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 52% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 54% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 14 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Recreational Waterways. The median lot measures about 713 m² across 268 parcels.

Who lives in Pretty Beach

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Pretty Beach suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population

314

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median household income

$1,818

per week, Central Coast suburb typical $1,735

Median rent

$428

per week, Central Coast suburb typical $400

Median mortgage

$1,547

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 10

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1086, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 10

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Pretty Beach's 314 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 1.3%

5-14 9.3%

15-19 4.3%

20-24 2.3%

25-34 7.0%

35-44 6.3%

45-54 12.3%

55-64 18.9%

65-74 23.5%

75-84 11.9%

85+ 3.0%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Box Head - MacMasters Beach, the wider ABS statistical area containing Pretty Beach. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Pretty Beach itself.

10,153 in 2001 to 11,289 in 2025, up 11%.

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.

Pretty Beach 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 Pretty Beach 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 82% of Pretty Beach. 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 Pretty Beach lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Pretty Beach planning - frequently asked

Is Pretty Beach flood-prone?

About 52% of Pretty Beach falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 30%.

Is Pretty Beach bushfire-prone?

Around 54% of Pretty Beach is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Central Coast average of 69%.

Is Pretty Beach under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 82% of Pretty Beach, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 2,000 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 Pretty Beach?

The dominant planning zone in Pretty Beach is Recreational Waterways, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Environmental Conservation.

Does Pretty Beach have heritage-listed places?

Pretty Beach has 14 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Pretty Beach?

Across 268 surveyed parcels in Pretty Beach, the median lot size is about 713 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Pretty Beach have a train station?

There is no train station inside Pretty Beach itself. The suburb is served by 8 bus stops.

What is the population of Pretty Beach?

At the 2021 Census Pretty Beach had 314 usual residents, with a median age of 57 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Box Head - MacMasters Beach statistical area, which contains Pretty Beach, went from 10,153 people in 2001 to 11,289 in 2025, up 11%.

Is Pretty Beach an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Pretty Beach scores 1086 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Pretty Beach?

Median household income in Pretty Beach was $1,818 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,735 for the typical suburb in Central Coast. Median rent was $428 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,547 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Hardys Bay	0.6 km	4%	91%
Wagstaffe	0.9 km	54%	50%
Killcare	1.2 km	39%	68%
Booker Bay	1.4 km	82%	<1%
Ettalong Beach	1.7 km	54%	5%
Daleys Point	2.3 km	32%	69%
Killcare Heights	2.5 km	<1%	94%
Blackwall	2.6 km	48%	43%
Empire Bay	3.1 km	60%	61%
Umina Beach	3.4 km	47%	39%

See all Central Coast suburb profiles →