Planning Maps / Areas / Central Coast / Shelly Beach

Shelly Beach zoning & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Shelly Beach (Central Coast, NSW) - 1.18 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is moderately constrained on the overlays we hold - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Shelly Beach's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. It shows where constraints fall; the interactive map shows them on your exact address. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.

Shelly Beach at a glance

Parcels 553 Median lot 581 m² Mapped easements 6 Bus stops 26

How Shelly Beach is zoned

Public Recreation 47%
Low Density Residential 28%
General Residential 16%
Private Recreation 6%
Environmental Conservation 3%
Infrastructure 1%

Buying in Shelly 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 1.18 km², Shelly Beach is moderately 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, 21% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Public Recreation. The median lot measures about 581 m² across 553 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 Shelly Beach

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

Population
1,313
usual residents, 2021
Median age
47
years
Median household income
$1,646
per week, Central Coast suburb typical $1,735
Median rent
$423
per week, Central Coast suburb typical $400
Median mortgage
$2,200
per month
Household size
2.5
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 9
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1043, and decile 8 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 9
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Shelly Beach's 1,313 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 4.4%
5-14 10.6%
15-19 5.8%
20-24 4.7%
25-34 9.0%
35-44 12.0%
45-54 12.5%
55-64 15.0%
65-74 13.7%
75-84 7.6%
85+ 4.8%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of The Entrance, the wider ABS statistical area containing Shelly Beach. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Shelly Beach itself.

11,941 in 2001 to 16,336 in 2025, up 37%.

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.

Shelly 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.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingNot mappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
ZoningMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
DemographicsAvailableAustralian 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 Shelly 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 →

Shelly Beach planning - frequently asked

Is Shelly Beach flood-prone?

We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Shelly Beach, 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. Central Coast is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area. Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.

Is Shelly Beach bushfire-prone?

Yes - around 21% of Shelly Beach is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Central Coast average of 69%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.

What is the zoning in Shelly Beach?

The dominant planning zone in Shelly Beach is Public Recreation, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and General Residential. Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.

Does Shelly Beach have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within Shelly Beach. Even so, it is worth confirming for an individual property before any works.

What is the typical lot size in Shelly Beach?

Across 553 surveyed parcels in Shelly Beach, the median lot size is about 581 m². There are also 6 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 Shelly Beach have a train station?

There is no train station inside Shelly Beach itself. The suburb is served by 26 bus stops.

What is the population of Shelly Beach?

At the 2021 Census Shelly Beach had 1,313 usual residents, with a median age of 47 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider The Entrance statistical area, which contains Shelly Beach, went from 11,941 people in 2001 to 16,336 in 2025, up 37%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Shelly Beach alone.

Is Shelly Beach an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Shelly Beach scores 1043 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 8 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 Shelly Beach?

Median household income in Shelly Beach was $1,646 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,735 for the typical suburb in Central Coast. Median rent was $423 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,200 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.

Do I need a planning report for a Shelly Beach property?

A Shelly 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 suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Long Jetty 1.3 km Not mapped 2%
Toowoon Bay 1.8 km Not mapped 26%
Killarney Vale 1.9 km Not mapped 20%
Bateau Bay 2.1 km Not mapped 53%
Blue Bay 2.3 km Not mapped 0%
The Entrance 3.1 km Not mapped 0%
The Entrance North 4.5 km Not mapped 4%
Forresters Beach 4.7 km Not mapped 80%
Tumbi Umbi 5.5 km Not mapped 88%
Berkeley Vale 5.6 km Not mapped 44%

See all Central Coast suburb profiles →