Woolgoolga flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Woolgoolga
(Coffs Harbour, NSW) - 54.74 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
54.74 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Woolgoolga'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 Woolgoolga
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
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.
Woolgoolga at a glance
How Woolgoolga is zoned
Buying in Woolgoolga? 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 54.74 km², Woolgoolga is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 7% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 89% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 7 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Forestry. The median lot measures about 905 m² across 2,551 parcels.
Who lives in Woolgoolga
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Woolgoolga 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 943, and decile 3 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Woolgoolga's 6,151 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Woolgoolga - Arrawarra, the wider ABS statistical area containing Woolgoolga. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Woolgoolga itself.
10,248 in 2001 to 15,229 in 2025, up 49%.
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.
Woolgoolga 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 Woolgoolga 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 5% of Woolgoolga. 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 Woolgoolga. 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 Woolgoolga lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Woolgoolga planning - frequently asked
Is Woolgoolga flood-prone?
About 7% of Woolgoolga falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 21%. Published flood models are held over parts of Woolgoolga; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Woolgoolga bushfire-prone?
Around 89% of Woolgoolga is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Coffs Harbour average of 88%.
Is Woolgoolga under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 5% of Woolgoolga, and over about 20% 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 2,000 ft, with an average of 5,000 ft. 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 Woolgoolga?
The dominant planning zone in Woolgoolga is Forestry, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and National Parks and Nature Reserves.
Does Woolgoolga have heritage-listed places?
Woolgoolga has 7 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Woolgoolga?
Across 2,551 surveyed parcels in Woolgoolga, the median lot size is about 905 m². There are also 14 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Woolgoolga have a train station?
There is no train station inside Woolgoolga itself. The suburb is served by 172 bus stops.
What is the population of Woolgoolga?
At the 2021 Census Woolgoolga had 6,151 usual residents, with a median age of 45 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Woolgoolga - Arrawarra statistical area, which contains Woolgoolga, went from 10,248 people in 2001 to 15,229 in 2025, up 49%.
Is Woolgoolga an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Woolgoolga scores 943 and sits in decile 3 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 Woolgoolga?
Median household income in Woolgoolga was $1,190 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,550 for the typical suburb in Coffs Harbour. Median rent was $360 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,733 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Safety Beach | 2.9 km | 35% | 69% |
| Mullaway | 3.2 km | 9% | 90% |
| Arrawarra Headland | 4.3 km | 12% | 93% |
| Arrawarra | 5.4 km | 58% | 92% |
| Sandy Beach | 5.9 km | 28% | 74% |
| Upper Corindi | 6.7 km | 8% | 97% |
| Emerald Beach | 7.6 km | 24% | 96% |
| Corindi Beach | 8.6 km | 36% | 96% |
| Bucca | 9.6 km | 13% | 96% |
| Moonee Beach | 11.3 km | 41% | 91% |