Bulimba flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Bulimba (Brisbane City, QLD) - 2.89 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 12 September 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Bulimba's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Amber hatching is the published aircraft noise (ANEF) contour.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

How common is mapped flood risk across Bulimba properties?

Overlay percentages say how much land is constrained; these figures say how many properties are actually touched in a suburb-wide analysis of 4,415 Bulimba properties. No individual property result is identified on this page.

Aircraft noise and flight paths over Bulimba

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 aircraft traffic is a separate question from the contour.

Inside an aircraft noise contour

13%

13% of the suburb's land sits inside a published ANEF or airport-environs contour. Contours vary street by street, so whether a particular lot is inside one needs a property-level check.

Highest contour present

ANEF 20

Under AS 2021, land between ANEF 20 and 25 is conditionally acceptable for houses, usually with noise attenuation built in. The contour is a forecast, not a measurement at any one house.

Contours held

  • Brisbane City Plan Airport Environs ANEF

Bulimba flood history and overland flow

These are suburb-wide totals across 4,415 analysed properties. They show how common each mapped category is across Bulimba; they do not identify or describe any individual property.

Recorded historical flood mapping

48.8%

2,153 analysed properties intersect at least one mapped historical event extent.

  • Historic Flood 1974: 2,126
  • February 2022: 1,282
  • January 2011: 1,223
  • Historic Flood 2011: 115

Mapped overland flow

34.5%

1,522 analysed properties carry a mapped overland-flow category.

  • Low: 408
  • Medium: 520
  • Affected: 592

Source: Brisbane City 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.

Bulimba at a glance

Parcels 4,132 Median lot 492 m² Mapped easements 513 Bus stops 42 Ferry terminals 2 Schools in suburb 1

Schools in and near Bulimba

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

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: 0.62 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 Bulimba is zoned

Low-medium density residential (2 or 3 storey mix) 26%
Character residential (Character) 21%
Low density residential 17%
Emerging community 12%
Sport and recreation (District) 7%
District centre (District) 3%

Selling in Bulimba? 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 2.89 km², Bulimba is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 75% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 20 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low-medium density residential (2 or 3 storey mix). The terrain is largely flat, and the median lot measures about 492 m² across 4,132 parcels.

Recent development applications in Bulimba

Applications are counted across the whole gazetted suburb from the public Brisbane City Council register. No application address or individual property is published here.

Submitted in the past 12 months

97

Latest included submission: 18 September 2026.

Previous 12 months: 98 (1% lower in the latest period).

Common application types

  • Material change of use: 25
  • Reconfiguring a lot: 9
  • Building work: 51
  • Operational work: 8

Counts depend on applications that the council publishes and that can be assigned to a suburb. Categories can overlap when one application covers several types. Totals below five and their latest dates are suppressed. Register last synchronised 18 September 2026. Check the official council register.

Who lives in Bulimba

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

Population
7,623
usual residents, 2021
Median age
40
years
Median household income
$2,805
per week, Brisbane City suburb typical $2,122
Median rent
$500
per week, Brisbane City suburb typical $410
Median mortgage
$2,800
per month
Household size
2.4
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 10
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1143, and decile 10 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 10
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Bulimba's 7,623 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 5.4%
5-14 12.2%
15-19 5.6%
20-24 5.0%
25-34 13.3%
35-44 16.3%
45-54 15.9%
55-64 12.8%
65-74 8.1%
75-84 3.9%
85+ 1.4%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

4,116 in 2001 to 7,925 in 2025, up 93%.

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.

Bulimba property market snapshot

Queensland Government publishes this as a SA2 market series for Bulimba, the wider statistical area containing Bulimba. It is not a valuation and is not specific to this suburb or any individual property.

House sales

$2,225,000

Median sale price from 104 sales over 12 months to March 2026.

Unit sales

$1,240,000

Median sale price from 145 sales over 12 months to March 2026.

Source: Queensland Government Statistician's Office (QGSO). View the source profile. The same SA2 figure can appear on several suburb pages within that statistical area.

Bulimba 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)Inside a held contourthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data, Defence
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)
School availabilityAvailableQueensland Government
Market statisticsAvailable at SA2 levelQueensland Government Statistician's Office (QGSO)
Development applicationsAvailable as suburb totalsBrisbane City Council

Profile last materially updated 12 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 Bulimba 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 here: a Flood Model Report is available for about 4,400 Bulimba addresses (+$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 Bulimba lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Bulimba planning - frequently asked

Is Bulimba flood-prone?

About 75% of Bulimba falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 40%. Across the suburb, 70% of the 4,415 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 1057 rated high risk or historically affected.

Is Bulimba bushfire-prone?

Bushfire mapping covers Bulimba and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone (the Brisbane City average is 27%).

Is Bulimba affected by aircraft noise?

About 13% of Bulimba sits inside a published aircraft noise contour, and the highest contour present is ANEF 20 - under AS 2021, land between ANEF 20 and 25 is conditionally acceptable for houses, usually with noise attenuation in the build. ANEF contours are forecasts published per airport and used to control noise-sensitive development; they are not a measurement at any one house, and a property can sit under a flight path and outside every contour.

What is the zoning in Bulimba?

The dominant planning zone in Bulimba is Low-medium density residential (2 or 3 storey mix), though the suburb also includes Character residential (Character) and Low density residential.

Does Bulimba have heritage-listed places?

Bulimba has 20 heritage-listed places on record.

Is Bulimba hilly or flat?

Bulimba is largely flat: the median ground slope is about 4%, and 5% of measured points sit on grades of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 2 m to 26 m AHD across the suburb.

What is the typical lot size in Bulimba?

Across 4,132 surveyed parcels in Bulimba, the median lot size is about 492 m². There are also 513 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Bulimba have a train station?

There is no train station inside Bulimba itself. The suburb is served by 42 bus stops and 2 ferry terminals.

What is the population of Bulimba?

At the 2021 Census Bulimba had 7,623 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Bulimba statistical area, which contains Bulimba, went from 4,116 people in 2001 to 7,925 in 2025, up 93%.

Is Bulimba an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Bulimba scores 1143 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Bulimba?

Median household income in Bulimba was $2,805 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,122 for the typical suburb in Brisbane City. Median rent was $500 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,800 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Hamilton 1.1 km 59% 0%
Balmoral 1.2 km 23% 0%
Newstead 1.4 km 99% 0%
Teneriffe 1.5 km 57% 0%
Hawthorne 1.7 km 58% 0%
Morningside 2.0 km 48% 8%
Ascot 2.2 km 37% 0%
New Farm 2.4 km 60% 0%
Bowen Hills 2.4 km 60% 0%
Albion 2.4 km 67% 0%

See all Brisbane City suburb profiles →