Rose Bay flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Rose Bay
(Woollahra, NSW) - 2.51 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is relatively unconstrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
2.51 km² - this suburb is relatively unconstrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Rose Bay'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 Rose Bay
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 4 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.
Rose Bay at a glance
How Rose Bay is zoned
Buying in Rose Bay? 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 2.51 km², Rose Bay is relatively unconstrained by planning overlays. About 2% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 71 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 565 m² across 1,959 parcels.
Who lives in Rose Bay
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Rose Bay 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 1157, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Rose Bay's 9,911 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay, the wider ABS statistical area containing Rose Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Rose Bay itself.
11,933 in 2001 to 11,846 in 2025, down 1%.
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.
Rose Bay 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 Rose Bay 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 78% of Rose Bay. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Published flood models are held over parts of Rose Bay. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$9 with the planning report.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Rose Bay lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Rose Bay planning - frequently asked
Is Rose Bay flood-prone?
About 2% of Rose Bay falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 1%. Published flood models are held over parts of Rose Bay; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Rose Bay bushfire-prone?
Bushfire mapping covers Rose Bay and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone.
Is Rose Bay under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 78% of Rose Bay, and over about 100% 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 500 ft, with an average of 4,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 17 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 Rose Bay?
The dominant planning zone in Rose Bay is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Medium Density Residential and Private Recreation.
Does Rose Bay have heritage-listed places?
Rose Bay has 71 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Rose Bay?
Across 1,959 surveyed parcels in Rose Bay, the median lot size is about 565 m². There are also 4 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Rose Bay have a train station?
There is no train station inside Rose Bay itself. The suburb is served by 88 bus stops.
What is the population of Rose Bay?
At the 2021 Census Rose Bay had 9,911 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay statistical area, which contains Rose Bay, went from 11,933 people in 2001 to 11,846 in 2025, down 1%.
Is Rose Bay an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Rose Bay scores 1157 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Rose Bay?
Median household income in Rose Bay was $2,539 a week at the 2021 Census, against $3,104 for the typical suburb in Woollahra. Median rent was $630 a week and the median mortgage repayment $3,250 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellevue Hill | 1.2 km | 0% | 0% |
| Dover Heights Waverley |
1.3 km | 2% | 0% |
| Point Piper | 1.5 km | Not mapped | 0% |
| North Bondi Waverley |
1.9 km | 16% | 0% |
| Bondi Beach Waverley |
2.0 km | 16% | 0% |
| Bondi Waverley |
2.1 km | 5% | 0% |
| Double Bay | 2.2 km | Not mapped | 0% |
| Vaucluse | 2.2 km | <1% | 0% |
| Bondi Junction Waverley |
2.6 km | 4% | 0% |
| Woollahra | 2.6 km | 0% | 0% |