Spencer flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Spencer
(Central Coast, NSW) - 36.33 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
36.33 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Spencer'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 Spencer
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 22 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 4,000 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.
Spencer at a glance
How Spencer is zoned
Buying in Spencer? 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 36.33 km², Spencer is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 19% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 87% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 5 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 1,715 m² across 394 parcels.
Who lives in Spencer
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Spencer 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 918, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Spencer's 288 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Calga - Kulnura, the wider ABS statistical area containing Spencer. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Spencer itself.
4,793 in 2001 to 4,678 in 2025, down 2%.
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.
Spencer 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 Spencer 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 27% of Spencer. 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 Spencer. 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 Spencer lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Spencer planning - frequently asked
Is Spencer flood-prone?
About 19% of Spencer falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 30%. Published flood models are held over parts of Spencer; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Spencer bushfire-prone?
Around 87% of Spencer is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Central Coast average of 69%.
Is Spencer under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 27% of Spencer, and over about 52% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 6,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 39 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 Spencer?
The dominant planning zone in Spencer is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Recreational Waterways.
Does Spencer have heritage-listed places?
Spencer has 5 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Spencer?
Across 394 surveyed parcels in Spencer, the median lot size is about 1,715 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Spencer have a train station?
There is no train station inside Spencer itself. The suburb is served by 14 bus stops.
What is the population of Spencer?
At the 2021 Census Spencer had 288 usual residents, with a median age of 52 and an average household size of 2.0 people. The wider Calga - Kulnura statistical area, which contains Spencer, went from 4,793 people in 2001 to 4,678 in 2025, down 2%.
Is Spencer an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Spencer scores 918 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Spencer?
Median household income in Spencer was $913 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,735 for the typical suburb in Central Coast. Median rent was $295 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,395 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wendoree Park | 3.2 km | 28% | 80% |
| Marlow | 4.3 km | 46% | 83% |
| Lower Mangrove | 4.7 km | 16% | 93% |
| Singletons Mill Hornsby |
5.2 km | 32% | 89% |
| Mount White | 6.1 km | 5% | 95% |
| Glenworth Valley | 6.1 km | 12% | 94% |
| Canoelands Hornsby |
7.2 km | 12% | 93% |
| Bar Point | 7.4 km | 33% | 74% |
| Greengrove | 7.6 km | 13% | 96% |
| Gunderman | 8.6 km | 9% | 96% |