Birnam flood map & planning overlays

Tenants in Birnam pay a median $490 a week, more than anywhere bar Boyland in the Scenic Rim.

A planning-constraint profile of Birnam (Scenic Rim Regional, QLD) - 20.88 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 Birnam'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 Birnam properties?

Counts of properties, not share of land, across 55 analysed Birnam properties; no individual property result is identified.

Has Birnam flooded? Flood history and overland flow

Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Birnam: 32 of the 55 properties we analysed (58.2%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (Defined Flood Event: 32). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.

Suburb-wide totals across 55 analysed properties; they do not identify or describe any individual property.

Recorded historical flood mapping

58.2%

32 analysed properties intersect at least one mapped historical event extent.

  • Defined Flood Event: 32

Source: Scenic Rim Regional Council flood mapping, aggregated by LayeredGeo. Categories are only shown where at least five analysed properties share them. An address-level check is still required to determine whether a particular lot is mapped.

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Birnam

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
100%
of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft
Below 3,000 ft
95%
of the suburb's area
Lowest measured
500 ft
averaging 3,000 ft
Busiest square
~2 a day
2 a day below 3,000 ft · ±29%
typical observed square 1 a day

Night movements: not established - night is sampled as often as day, but too few night flights have been seen here to conclude either way.

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.

Birnam at a glance

Parcels 63 Median lot 148,603 m² Mapped easements 13 Schools in suburb 0

Schools in and near Birnam

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

0

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

Nearest school availability

Primary: 2.16 km from the suburb boundary

Secondary: 3.45 km from the suburb boundary

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 Birnam is zoned

Rural 99%
Recreation and Open Space 1%
Community Facilities 0%

Selling in Birnam? 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 20.88 km², Birnam is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 16% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 59% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural. The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 148,603 m² across 63 parcels.

Who lives in Birnam

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

Population
109
usual residents, 2021
Median age
44
years
Median household income
$2,107
per week, Scenic Rim Regional suburb typical $1,562
Median rent
$490
per week, Scenic Rim Regional suburb typical $300
Median mortgage
$2,134
per month
Household size
2.9
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 6
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 988, and decile 7 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 6
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Birnam's 109 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 3.6%
5-14 14.5%
15-19 6.4%
20-24 3.6%
25-34 2.7%
35-44 20.9%
45-54 7.3%
55-64 17.3%
65-74 19.1%
75-84 4.5%
85+ 0.0%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

9,977 in 2001 to 16,642 in 2025, up 67%.

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.

Birnam 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 Birnam 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 →

Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 95% of Birnam. 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 Birnam. 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).

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

Birnam planning - frequently asked

Is Birnam flood-prone?

About 16% of Birnam falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 14%. Across the suburb, 58% of the 55 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 28 rated high risk or historically affected. Published flood models are held over parts of Birnam; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.

Has Birnam flooded?

Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Birnam: 32 of the 55 properties we analysed (58.2%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (Defined Flood Event: 32). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.

Is Birnam bushfire-prone?

Around 59% of Birnam is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Scenic Rim Regional average of 52%.

Is Birnam under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 95% of Birnam, and over about 100% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 7 Nov 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 3,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 2 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 Birnam?

The dominant planning zone in Birnam is Rural, though the suburb also includes Recreation and Open Space and Community Facilities.

Does Birnam have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within Birnam.

Is Birnam hilly or flat?

Birnam is gently undulating: the median ground slope is about 8%, and 18% of measured points sit on grades of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 54 m to 153 m AHD across the suburb.

What is the typical lot size in Birnam?

Across 63 surveyed parcels in Birnam, the median lot size is about 148,603 m². There are also 13 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

What is the population of Birnam?

At the 2021 Census Birnam had 109 usual residents, with a median age of 44 and an average household size of 2.9 people. The wider Beaudesert statistical area, which contains Birnam, went from 9,977 people in 2001 to 16,642 in 2025, up 67%.

Is Birnam an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Birnam scores 988 and sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally and decile 7 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Birnam?

Median household income in Birnam was $2,107 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,562 for the typical suburb in Scenic Rim Regional. Median rent was $490 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,134 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Veresdale Scrub 4.6 km 23% 36%
Tabragalba 4.8 km 27% 40%
Veresdale 5.9 km 42% 26%
Mundoolun
Logan City
6.2 km 30% 81%
Boyland 6.9 km 21% 55%
Veresdale Scrub
Logan City
7.0 km 22% 42%
Beaudesert 7.2 km 19% 41%
Biddaddaba 7.3 km 6% 74%
Cedar Vale
Logan City
8.9 km 23% 69%
Veresdale
Logan City
9.2 km 63% 28%

See all Scenic Rim Regional suburb profiles →