Sandy Beach flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Sandy Beach (Coffs Harbour, NSW) - 13.45 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Everything below is suburb-wide. Overlays change block to block - see which ones actually touch your lot. The map is free.
Constraint readout
13.45 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Sandy Beach's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. It shows where constraints fall; the interactive map shows them on your exact address.
Sandy Beach at a glance
How Sandy Beach is zoned
Buying in Sandy 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 13.45 km², Sandy Beach is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 24% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 74% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 581 m² across 1,198 parcels. These figures are suburb-wide - the overlays that actually apply to a given lot can differ block to block, which is what a property-level check tells you.
Who lives in Sandy Beach
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Sandy Beach 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 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Sandy Beach's 2,913 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Woolgoolga - Arrawarra, the wider ABS statistical area containing Sandy Beach. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Sandy Beach itself.
10,248 in 2001 to 15,229 in 2025, up 49%.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Census of Population and Housing 2021 (General Community Profile) and SEIFA 2021, both published at the Suburbs and Localities level; Regional Population (estimated resident population) at Statistical Area Level 2. Used under CC BY 4.0. Census counts of small populations are randomly adjusted by the ABS to protect confidentiality, so figures for small suburbs are indicative.
Sandy Beach data sources and coverage
Every figure below is an aggregate for the suburb boundary. “Not mapped” means LayeredGeo does not hold a source layer covering this suburb; it is never an all-clear for a particular property.
| 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 |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 5 August 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 Sandy 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.
See what's in the $9 report →Sandy Beach planning - frequently asked
Where can I see a flood map of Sandy Beach?
The schematic on this page is a Sandy Beach flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid, covering about 24% of the suburb. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Sandy Beach address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.
Is Sandy Beach flood-prone?
About 24% of Sandy Beach falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 18%. Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.
Is Sandy Beach bushfire-prone?
Yes - around 74% of Sandy Beach is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Coffs Harbour average of 88%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.
What is the zoning in Sandy Beach?
The dominant planning zone in Sandy Beach is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Environmental Conservation. Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.
Does Sandy Beach have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Sandy Beach. Even so, it is worth confirming for an individual property before any works.
What is the typical lot size in Sandy Beach?
Across 1,198 surveyed parcels in Sandy Beach, the median lot size is about 581 m². There are also 9 registered easements mapped in the suburb - an easement can restrict where you can build, so always check the title and overlays for the specific lot.
Does Sandy Beach have a train station?
There is no train station inside Sandy Beach itself. The suburb is served by 68 bus stops.
What is the population of Sandy Beach?
At the 2021 Census Sandy Beach had 2,913 usual residents, with a median age of 35 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Woolgoolga - Arrawarra statistical area, which contains Sandy Beach, went from 10,248 people in 2001 to 15,229 in 2025, up 49%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Sandy Beach alone.
Is Sandy Beach an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Sandy Beach scores 959 and sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally and decile 4 within New South Wales - decile 1 being the most disadvantaged tenth of Australian suburbs and decile 10 the least. The national average score is 1000. SEIFA summarises income, education, occupation and housing across the whole suburb, so it describes the area, not any particular household in it.
What is the median household income in Sandy Beach?
Median household income in Sandy Beach was $1,567 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,550 for the typical suburb in Coffs Harbour. Median rent was $420 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,810 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.
Do I need a planning report for a Sandy Beach property?
A Sandy Beach planning report pulls every overlay - zoning, flood, bushfire, heritage and environmental - that touches a single lot, on live council and state data. The interactive map preview is free; a full PDF report is $9.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emerald Beach | 2.6 km | 6% | 96% |
| Woolgoolga | 5.9 km | 4% | 89% |
| Safety Beach | 5.9 km | 33% | 69% |
| Moonee Beach | 6.4 km | Not mapped | 91% |
| Mullaway | 6.9 km | 9% | 90% |
| Bucca | 7.3 km | Not mapped | 96% |
| Arrawarra Headland | 8.8 km | 12% | 93% |
| Arrawarra | 10.4 km | 57% | 92% |
| Sapphire Beach | 10.5 km | Not mapped | 86% |
| Upper Corindi | 12.3 km | 8% | 97% |