Property Report / Areas / Mid-Coast / Tarbuck Bay

Tarbuck Bay zoning & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Tarbuck Bay (Mid-Coast, NSW) - 5.33 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 19 September 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Tarbuck Bay'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 Tarbuck 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.

Tarbuck Bay at a glance

Parcels 147 Median lot 783 m² Mapped easements 1 Bus stops 14

How Tarbuck Bay is zoned

Rural Landscape 95%
Environmental Management 3%
Village 2%
Natural Waterways 0%
Recreational Waterways 0%
National Parks and Nature Reserves 0%

Buying in Tarbuck 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 5.33 km², Tarbuck Bay 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, 99% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 783 m² across 147 parcels.

Who lives in Tarbuck Bay

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

Population
194
usual residents, 2021
Median age
48
years
Median household income
$1,021
per week, Mid-Coast suburb typical $1,204
Median rent
$430
per week, Mid-Coast suburb typical $305
Median mortgage
$1,192
per month
Household size
2.4
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 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 904, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Tarbuck Bay's 194 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 1.6%
5-14 15.9%
15-19 9.9%
20-24 2.2%
25-34 4.9%
35-44 9.3%
45-54 14.8%
55-64 17.6%
65-74 13.2%
75-84 8.2%
85+ 2.2%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Forster-Tuncurry Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Tarbuck Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Tarbuck Bay 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.

Tarbuck Bay data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

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
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)

Profile last materially updated 19 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 Tarbuck 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.

Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Tarbuck Bay lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Tarbuck Bay planning - frequently asked

Is Tarbuck Bay flood-prone?

We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Tarbuck Bay, 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 Tarbuck Bay bushfire-prone?

Around 99% of Tarbuck Bay is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Mid-Coast average of 94%.

Is Tarbuck Bay under a flight path?

No aircraft were observed over Tarbuck Bay 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 Tarbuck Bay?

The dominant planning zone in Tarbuck Bay is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Environmental Management and Village.

Does Tarbuck Bay have heritage-listed places?

Tarbuck Bay has 1 heritage-listed place on record.

What is the typical lot size in Tarbuck Bay?

Across 147 surveyed parcels in Tarbuck Bay, the median lot size is about 783 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Tarbuck Bay have a train station?

There is no train station inside Tarbuck Bay itself. The suburb is served by 14 bus stops.

What is the population of Tarbuck Bay?

At the 2021 Census Tarbuck Bay had 194 usual residents, with a median age of 48 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Forster-Tuncurry Surrounds statistical area, which contains Tarbuck Bay, went from 4,949 people in 2001 to 7,407 in 2025, up 50%.

Is Tarbuck Bay an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Tarbuck Bay scores 904 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 Tarbuck Bay?

Median household income in Tarbuck Bay was $1,021 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,204 for the typical suburb in Mid-Coast. Median rent was $430 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,192 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Smiths Lake 2.2 km Not mapped 46%
Charlotte Bay 3.2 km Not mapped 94%
Sandbar 4.6 km Not mapped 91%
Bungwahl 4.9 km Not mapped 99%
Blueys Beach 5.2 km Not mapped 87%
Whoota 5.5 km Not mapped 99%
Boomerang Beach 6.2 km Not mapped 83%
Elizabeth Beach 6.9 km Not mapped 92%
Seal Rocks 6.9 km Not mapped 99%
Booti Booti 6.9 km Not mapped 98%

See all Mid-Coast suburb profiles →