Smiths Lake zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Smiths Lake
(Mid-Coast, NSW) - 15.5 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Profile updated 23 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
15.5 km² - this suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Smiths Lake's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Smiths Lake
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 to
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.
Smiths Lake at a glance
How Smiths Lake is zoned
Buying in Smiths Lake? 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 15.5 km², Smiths Lake is highly 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, 46% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Natural Waterways. The median lot measures about 721 m² across 1,073 parcels.
Who lives in Smiths Lake
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Smiths Lake 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 954, and decile 3 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Smiths Lake's 1,332 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Forster-Tuncurry Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Smiths Lake. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Smiths Lake itself.
4,949 in 2001 to 7,407 in 2025, up 50%.
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.
Smiths Lake data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Not 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 23 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 Smiths Lake 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.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Smiths Lake lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Smiths Lake planning - frequently asked
Is Smiths Lake flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Smiths Lake, 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. Mid-Coast is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.
Is Smiths Lake bushfire-prone?
Around 46% of Smiths Lake is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Mid-Coast average of 94%.
Is Smiths Lake under a flight path?
No aircraft were observed over Smiths Lake in the period sampled (recent weeks to now). Sampling is intermittent, so that is a floor rather than proof that none fly over. 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 Smiths Lake?
The dominant planning zone in Smiths Lake is Natural Waterways, though the suburb also includes Recreational Waterways and Rural Landscape.
Does Smiths Lake have heritage-listed places?
Smiths Lake has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Smiths Lake?
Across 1,073 surveyed parcels in Smiths Lake, the median lot size is about 721 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Smiths Lake have a train station?
There is no train station inside Smiths Lake itself. The suburb is served by 58 bus stops.
What is the population of Smiths Lake?
At the 2021 Census Smiths Lake had 1,332 usual residents, with a median age of 49 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Forster-Tuncurry Surrounds statistical area, which contains Smiths Lake, went from 4,949 people in 2001 to 7,407 in 2025, up 50%.
Is Smiths Lake an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Smiths Lake scores 954 and sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally and decile 3 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Smiths Lake?
Median household income in Smiths Lake was $1,210 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,204 for the typical suburb in Mid-Coast. Median rent was $380 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,473 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarbuck Bay | 2.2 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Sandbar | 2.7 km | Not mapped | 91% |
| Charlotte Bay | 3.1 km | Not mapped | 94% |
| Blueys Beach | 4.4 km | Not mapped | 87% |
| Seal Rocks | 5.0 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Boomerang Beach | 5.7 km | Not mapped | 83% |
| Elizabeth Beach | 6.6 km | Not mapped | 92% |
| Bungwahl | 6.7 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Whoota | 7.0 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Booti Booti | 7.3 km | Not mapped | 98% |