Areas / Cairns Regional / Bellenden Ker

Bellenden Ker flood map & planning overlays

78.4% flood-mapped, on 4 ha median lots. Wet on paper, as well as in fact.

A planning-constraint profile of Bellenden Ker (Cairns Regional, QLD) - 31.86 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 7 November 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Bellenden Ker'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

How common is mapped flood risk across Bellenden Ker properties?

Counts of properties, not share of land, across 216 analysed Bellenden Ker properties; no individual property result is identified.

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Bellenden Ker

The ANEF contour is a published planning forecast and observed overflight is what a sampled tracking feed recorded - neither describes any individual property.

Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 7 Nov 2026

Under observed aircraft
30%
of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft
Below 3,000 ft
1%
of the suburb's area
Lowest measured
2,500 ft
averaging 8,000 ft
Busiest square
~1 a day
±32% · area average
typical observed square 1 a day

Night movements: observed, lowest 1,000 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.

How this is measured

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.

Bellenden Ker at a glance

Parcels 193 Median lot 41,965 m² Mapped easements 49 Schools in suburb 1 Landslide overlay 15%

Schools in and near Bellenden Ker

Public school-location data shows availability across the suburb; it does not rate schools or assign any individual address to a catchment.

Inside the suburb boundary

1

1 school providing primary years and 0 providing secondary years. A combined school may be counted in both teaching levels.

Nearest school availability

Primary: inside the suburb

Secondary: 4.09 km from the suburb boundary

Source: Queensland Government school geographic information. Catchment boundaries can divide a suburb and change over time.

Which school zone is a Bellenden Ker address in? Check an address with our free school zone checker.

How Bellenden Ker is zoned

Rural 79%
Conservation 18%
Environmental Management 2%
Special Purpose 1%
Rural Residential 0%
Community Facilities 0%

Selling in Bellenden Ker? 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 31.86 km², Bellenden Ker is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 78% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 5% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural. The terrain is largely flat, and the median lot measures about 41,965 m² across 193 parcels.

Who lives in Bellenden Ker

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

Population
229
usual residents, 2021
Median age
47
years
Median household income
$1,517
per week, Cairns Regional suburb typical $1,618
Median rent
$225
per week, Cairns Regional suburb typical $315
Median mortgage
$1,387
per month
Household size
2.5
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 4
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 957, and decile 5 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 5
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Bellenden Ker's 229 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 3.5%
5-14 13.7%
15-19 6.2%
20-24 6.6%
25-34 6.2%
35-44 7.9%
45-54 18.5%
55-64 18.9%
65-74 11.5%
75-84 4.8%
85+ 2.2%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

Bellenden Ker 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
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)
School availabilityAvailableQueensland Government

Profile last materially updated 7 November 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 Bellenden Ker 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.

See what's in the $9 report →

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 Bellenden Ker. 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 to spin round in your browser (+$9 with the planning report).

Moving here? The Liveability section adds walking times from the address to schools, parks, shops and transport, and the school zones it sits in (+$9 with the planning report).

Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and the indicative soil reactivity range to expect for a Bellenden Ker lot.

Bellenden Ker planning - frequently asked

Is Bellenden Ker flood-prone?

About 78% of Bellenden Ker falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 55%. Across the suburb, 59% of the 216 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 127 rated high risk or historically affected. Published flood models are held over parts of Bellenden Ker; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.

Is Bellenden Ker bushfire-prone?

Around 5% of Bellenden Ker is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Cairns Regional average of 23%.

Is Bellenden Ker under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed over about 30% of Bellenden Ker in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 2,500 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 Bellenden Ker?

The dominant planning zone in Bellenden Ker is Rural, though the suburb also includes Conservation and Environmental Management.

Does Bellenden Ker have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within Bellenden Ker.

Is Bellenden Ker hilly or flat?

Bellenden Ker is largely flat: the median ground slope is about 2%, and 15% of measured points sit on grades of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 1 m to 85 m AHD across the suburb.

What is the typical lot size in Bellenden Ker?

Across 193 surveyed parcels in Bellenden Ker, the median lot size is about 41,965 m². There are also 49 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

What is the population of Bellenden Ker?

At the 2021 Census Bellenden Ker had 229 usual residents, with a median age of 47 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Babinda statistical area, which contains Bellenden Ker, went from 4,292 people in 2001 to 4,765 in 2025, up 11%.

Is Bellenden Ker an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Bellenden Ker scores 957 and sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally and decile 5 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Bellenden Ker?

Median household income in Bellenden Ker was $1,517 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,618 for the typical suburb in Cairns Regional. Median rent was $225 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,387 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Babinda 6.6 km 81% <1%
Wooroonooran 8.1 km 19% 15%
Deeral 9.0 km 72% 29%
East Russell 9.8 km 13% 4%
Fishery Falls 10.6 km 92% <1%
Mirriwinni 12.0 km 78% 7%
Bramston Beach 12.2 km 53% 44%
Aloomba 16.7 km 55% 15%
Eubenangee 16.9 km 58% 28%
Bartle Frere 18.8 km 71% <1%

See all Cairns Regional suburb profiles →