Terrigal flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Terrigal
(Central Coast, NSW) - 9.14 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
9.14 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Terrigal'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 Terrigal
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: 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.
Terrigal at a glance
How Terrigal is zoned
Buying in Terrigal? 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 9.14 km², Terrigal is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 18% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 59% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 7 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 656 m² across 4,156 parcels.
Who lives in Terrigal
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Terrigal 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 1080, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Terrigal's 12,730 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Terrigal - North Avoca, the wider ABS statistical area containing Terrigal. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Terrigal itself.
11,850 in 2001 to 15,631 in 2025, up 32%.
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.
Terrigal 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 Terrigal 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 63% of Terrigal. 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 Terrigal lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Terrigal planning - frequently asked
Is Terrigal flood-prone?
About 18% of Terrigal falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 30%.
Is Terrigal bushfire-prone?
Around 59% of Terrigal is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Central Coast average of 69%.
Is Terrigal under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 63% of Terrigal, and over about 77% 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 2,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 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 Terrigal?
The dominant planning zone in Terrigal is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Environmental Living and Public Recreation.
Does Terrigal have heritage-listed places?
Terrigal has 7 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Terrigal?
Across 4,156 surveyed parcels in Terrigal, the median lot size is about 656 m². There are also 67 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Terrigal have a train station?
There is no train station inside Terrigal itself. The suburb is served by 166 bus stops.
What is the population of Terrigal?
At the 2021 Census Terrigal had 12,730 usual residents, with a median age of 43 and an average household size of 2.6 people. The wider Terrigal - North Avoca statistical area, which contains Terrigal, went from 11,850 people in 2001 to 15,631 in 2025, up 32%.
Is Terrigal an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Terrigal scores 1080 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Terrigal?
Median household income in Terrigal was $2,056 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,735 for the typical suburb in Central Coast. Median rent was $520 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,492 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| North Avoca | 1.3 km | 36% | 69% |
| Picketts Valley | 2.3 km | 14% | 85% |
| Erina Heights | 2.4 km | 9% | 59% |
| Avoca Beach | 2.8 km | 25% | 64% |
| Wamberal | 4.1 km | 31% | 63% |
| Kincumber | 4.3 km | 29% | 76% |
| Erina | 4.3 km | 24% | 56% |
| Copacabana | 4.6 km | 15% | 47% |
| Matcham | 4.6 km | 7% | 91% |
| Holgate | 5.0 km | 8% | 97% |