Sapphire Beach flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Sapphire Beach
(Coffs Harbour, NSW) - 7.76 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
7.76 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Sapphire 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 Sapphire 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 26 Sep 2026
typical observed square 1 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 2,500 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.
Sapphire Beach at a glance
How Sapphire Beach is zoned
Buying in Sapphire 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 7.76 km², Sapphire Beach is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 15% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 86% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 747 m² across 1,079 parcels.
Who lives in Sapphire Beach
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Sapphire 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 1071, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Sapphire Beach's 2,660 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Korora - Emerald Beach, the wider ABS statistical area containing Sapphire Beach. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Sapphire Beach itself.
6,726 in 2001 to 11,008 in 2025, up 64%.
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.
Sapphire 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 26 September 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 Sapphire 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 22% of Sapphire 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 Sapphire Beach lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Sapphire Beach planning - frequently asked
Is Sapphire Beach flood-prone?
About 15% of Sapphire Beach falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 21%.
Is Sapphire Beach bushfire-prone?
Around 86% of Sapphire Beach is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Coffs Harbour average of 88%.
Is Sapphire Beach under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 22% of Sapphire Beach, and over about 54% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 26 Sep 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 3,500 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 Sapphire Beach?
The dominant planning zone in Sapphire Beach is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Forestry.
Does Sapphire Beach have heritage-listed places?
Sapphire Beach has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Sapphire Beach?
Across 1,079 surveyed parcels in Sapphire Beach, the median lot size is about 747 m². There are also 15 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Sapphire Beach have a train station?
There is no train station inside Sapphire Beach itself. The suburb is served by 30 bus stops.
What is the population of Sapphire Beach?
At the 2021 Census Sapphire Beach had 2,660 usual residents, with a median age of 46 and an average household size of 2.6 people. The wider Korora - Emerald Beach statistical area, which contains Sapphire Beach, went from 6,726 people in 2001 to 11,008 in 2025, up 64%.
Is Sapphire Beach an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Sapphire Beach scores 1071 and sits in decile 9 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 Sapphire Beach?
Median household income in Sapphire Beach was $2,056 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,550 for the typical suburb in Coffs Harbour. Median rent was $475 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,174 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Korora | 2.8 km | 0% | 85% |
| Moonee Beach | 4.2 km | 41% | 91% |
| Karangi | 6.6 km | 7% | 100% |
| Bucca | 7.4 km | 13% | 96% |
| Emerald Beach | 8.1 km | 24% | 96% |
| Coffs Harbour | 8.7 km | 35% | 57% |
| Sandy Beach | 10.5 km | 28% | 74% |
| North Boambee Valley | 10.9 km | 30% | 84% |
| Coramba | 11.2 km | 11% | 100% |
| Boambee | 13.4 km | 9% | 95% |