Sherwood flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Sherwood
(Clarence Valley, NSW) - 102.33 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.
Constraint readout
102.33 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Sherwood'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 Sherwood
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 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.
Sherwood at a glance
How Sherwood is zoned
Buying in Sherwood? 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 102.33 km², Sherwood is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 6 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 393,248 m² across 118 parcels.
Who lives in Sherwood
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Sherwood 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 897, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Sherwood's 68 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Grafton Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Sherwood. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Sherwood itself.
14,917 in 2001 to 18,099 in 2025, up 21%.
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.
Sherwood 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 Sherwood 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.
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 Sherwood. 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 Sherwood lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Sherwood planning - frequently asked
Is Sherwood flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Sherwood and less than 1% of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 24%). Published flood models are held over parts of Sherwood; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Sherwood bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Sherwood is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Clarence Valley average of 94%.
Is Sherwood under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 9% of Sherwood in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 3,500 ft. 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 Sherwood?
The dominant planning zone in Sherwood is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Forestry.
Does Sherwood have heritage-listed places?
Sherwood has 6 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Sherwood?
Across 118 surveyed parcels in Sherwood, the median lot size is about 393,248 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Sherwood?
At the 2021 Census Sherwood had 68 usual residents, with a median age of 43 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Grafton Surrounds statistical area, which contains Sherwood, went from 14,917 people in 2001 to 18,099 in 2025, up 21%.
Is Sherwood an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Sherwood scores 897 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Sherwood?
Median household income in Sherwood was $900 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,187 for the typical suburb in Clarence Valley.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Corindi Coffs Harbour |
7.0 km | 8% | 97% |
| Kungala | 9.6 km | 0% | 100% |
| Dirty Creek Coffs Harbour |
10.7 km | 0% | 88% |
| Nana Glen Coffs Harbour |
11.5 km | 22% | 98% |
| Glenreagh | 11.9 km | 8% | 99% |
| Kremnos | 12.1 km | <1% | 100% |
| Halfway Creek | 12.1 km | 0% | 100% |
| Woolgoolga Coffs Harbour |
12.8 km | 7% | 89% |
| Corindi Beach Coffs Harbour |
13.5 km | 36% | 96% |
| Arrawarra Coffs Harbour |
13.8 km | 58% | 92% |