Babinda flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Babinda (Cairns Regional, QLD) - 39.81 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 19 September 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Babinda's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

How common is mapped flood risk across Babinda properties?

Overlay percentages say how much land is constrained; these figures say how many properties are actually touched in a suburb-wide analysis of 899 Babinda properties. No individual property result is identified on this page.

Babinda at a glance

Parcels 859 Median lot 1,164 m² Mapped easements 137 Schools in suburb 4 Landslide overlay 14%

Schools in and near Babinda

Public school-location data shows availability across the suburb. These figures do not rate schools and do not assign a particular address to a catchment.

Inside the suburb boundary

4

2 schools providing primary years and 2 providing secondary years. A combined school may be counted in both teaching levels.

Nearest school availability

Primary: inside the suburb

Secondary: inside the suburb

Source: Queensland Government school geographic information. Catchment boundaries can divide a suburb and change over time; use the official catchment finder for a specific address.

How Babinda is zoned

Rural 88%
Environmental Management 3%
Low Density Residential 2%
Conservation 2%
Sport and Recreation 1%
Open Space 1%

Selling in Babinda? The lot-level zone is the zoning Part 3 of Queensland's Form 2 seller disclosure statement asks for - see our Form 2 planning data guide.

Across its 39.81 km², Babinda is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 81% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 23 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural. The terrain is largely flat, and the median lot measures about 1,164 m² across 859 parcels.

Who lives in Babinda

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

Population
1,287
usual residents, 2021
Median age
48
years
Median household income
$1,048
per week, Cairns Regional suburb typical $1,618
Median rent
$230
per week, Cairns Regional suburb typical $315
Median mortgage
$1,108
per month
Household size
2.3
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 1
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 885, and decile 2 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 1
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Babinda's 1,287 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 4.1%
5-14 12.6%
15-19 5.7%
20-24 3.9%
25-34 9.4%
35-44 11.3%
45-54 11.0%
55-64 15.4%
65-74 15.1%
75-84 8.6%
85+ 2.8%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Babinda, the wider ABS statistical area containing Babinda. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Babinda itself.

4,292 in 2001 to 4,765 in 2025, up 11%.

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.

Babinda data sources and coverage

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

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
ZoningMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data, Defence
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)
School availabilityAvailableQueensland Government

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 Babinda 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.

Published flood models are held over parts of Babinda. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$9 with the planning report.

The Terrain Report shows the fall of the block - contours, cross sections and a 3D model of the lot (+$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 Babinda lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Babinda planning - frequently asked

Is Babinda flood-prone?

About 81% of Babinda falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 55%. Across the suburb, 27% of the 899 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 240 rated high risk or historically affected.

Is Babinda bushfire-prone?

Bushfire mapping covers Babinda and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone (the Cairns Regional average is 23%).

What is the zoning in Babinda?

The dominant planning zone in Babinda is Rural, though the suburb also includes Environmental Management and Low Density Residential.

Does Babinda have heritage-listed places?

Babinda has 23 heritage-listed places on record.

Is Babinda hilly or flat?

Babinda is largely flat: the median ground slope is about 3%, and 11% of measured points sit on grades of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 3 m to 72 m AHD across the suburb.

What is the typical lot size in Babinda?

Across 859 surveyed parcels in Babinda, the median lot size is about 1,164 m². There are also 137 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

What is the population of Babinda?

At the 2021 Census Babinda had 1,287 usual residents, with a median age of 48 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Babinda statistical area, which contains Babinda, went from 4,292 people in 2001 to 4,765 in 2025, up 11%.

Is Babinda an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Babinda scores 885 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Babinda?

Median household income in Babinda was $1,048 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,618 for the typical suburb in Cairns Regional. Median rent was $230 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,108 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Mirriwinni 5.7 km 78% 7%
Bellenden Ker 6.6 km 78% 5%
Bramston Beach 8.1 km 53% 44%
Wooroonooran 9.0 km 19% 15%
Eubenangee 10.7 km 58% 28%
East Russell 10.8 km 13% 4%
Bartle Frere 13.2 km 71% <1%
Waugh Pocket 13.5 km 49% 1%
Eubenangee
Cassowary Coast Regional
13.6 km 59% 12%
Deeral 14.8 km 72% 29%

See all Cairns Regional suburb profiles →