Tanilba Bay flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Tanilba Bay
(Port Stephens, NSW) - 13.03 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
13.03 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Tanilba Bay'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 Tanilba Bay
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.
Tanilba Bay at a glance
How Tanilba Bay is zoned
Buying in Tanilba Bay? 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 13.03 km², Tanilba Bay is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 65% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 86% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 11 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 696 m² across 1,558 parcels.
Who lives in Tanilba Bay
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Tanilba Bay 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 898, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Tanilba Bay's 3,237 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Lemon Tree Passage - Tanilba Bay, the wider ABS statistical area containing Tanilba Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Tanilba Bay itself.
5,865 in 2001 to 7,065 in 2025, up 20%.
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.
Tanilba Bay 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 Tanilba Bay 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 34% of Tanilba Bay. 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 Tanilba Bay lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Tanilba Bay planning - frequently asked
Is Tanilba Bay flood-prone?
About 65% of Tanilba Bay falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 45%.
Is Tanilba Bay bushfire-prone?
Around 86% of Tanilba Bay is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Port Stephens average of 82%.
Is Tanilba Bay under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 34% of Tanilba Bay, and over about 80% 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 500 ft, with an average of 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 2 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 Tanilba Bay?
The dominant planning zone in Tanilba Bay is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Rural Landscape.
Does Tanilba Bay have heritage-listed places?
Tanilba Bay has 11 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Tanilba Bay?
Across 1,558 surveyed parcels in Tanilba Bay, the median lot size is about 696 m². There are also 6 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Tanilba Bay have a train station?
There is no train station inside Tanilba Bay itself. The suburb is served by 57 bus stops.
What is the population of Tanilba Bay?
At the 2021 Census Tanilba Bay had 3,237 usual residents, with a median age of 48 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Lemon Tree Passage - Tanilba Bay statistical area, which contains Tanilba Bay, went from 5,865 people in 2001 to 7,065 in 2025, up 20%.
Is Tanilba Bay an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Tanilba Bay scores 898 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 Tanilba Bay?
Median household income in Tanilba Bay was $1,131 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,421 for the typical suburb in Port Stephens. Median rent was $380 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,517 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tilligerry Creek | 2.3 km | 100% | 28% |
| Oyster Cove | 3.0 km | 55% | 99% |
| Mallabula | 3.2 km | 60% | 83% |
| Bobs Farm | 4.3 km | 36% | 79% |
| Lemon Tree Passage | 4.7 km | 34% | 69% |
| Swan Bay | 6.1 km | 51% | 99% |
| Taylors Beach | 7.8 km | 77% | 97% |
| Salt Ash | 7.9 km | 50% | 84% |
| Medowie | 8.6 km | 39% | 79% |
| Soldiers Point | 8.8 km | 26% | 23% |