Burleigh Heads flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Burleigh Heads (Gold Coast City, QLD) - 10.17 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Everything below is suburb-wide. Overlays change block to block - see which ones actually touch your lot. The map is free.
Constraint readout
10.17 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Burleigh Heads's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. It shows where constraints fall; the interactive map shows them on your exact address.
Burleigh Heads flood risk at the property level
Overlay percentages say how much land is constrained; these figures say how many properties are actually touched, from our lot-by-lot analysis of 9,491 Burleigh Heads properties.
Lot-level readout
Flood-risk rating across all 9,491 properties
From LayeredGeo's lot-risk engine: council flood overlays, historical flooding and terrain, resolved to each individual lot in Burleigh Heads.
Burleigh Heads at a glance
How Burleigh Heads is zoned
Selling in Burleigh Heads? 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 10.17 km², Burleigh Heads is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 34% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 45% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 14 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Conservation. The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 401 m² across 6,000 parcels. These figures are suburb-wide - the overlays that actually apply to a given lot can differ block to block, which is what a property-level check tells you.
Who lives in Burleigh Heads
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Burleigh Heads 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 1040, and decile 9 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Burleigh Heads's 10,572 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Burleigh Heads, the wider ABS statistical area containing Burleigh Heads. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Burleigh Heads itself.
7,346 in 2001 to 10,055 in 2025, up 37%.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Census of Population and Housing 2021 (General Community Profile) and SEIFA 2021, both published at the Suburbs and Localities level; Regional Population (estimated resident population) at Statistical Area Level 2. Used under CC BY 4.0. Census counts of small populations are randomly adjusted by the ABS to protect confidentiality, so figures for small suburbs are indicative.
Check a specific Burleigh Heads 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 →Burleigh Heads planning - frequently asked
Where can I see a flood map of Burleigh Heads?
The schematic on this page is a Burleigh Heads flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid, covering about 34% of the suburb. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Burleigh Heads address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.
Is Burleigh Heads flood-prone?
About 34% of Burleigh Heads falls within a mapped flood overlay, against a Gold Coast City average of 49%. Looking lot by lot, 23% of the 9,491 properties we analysed in Burleigh Heads carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 1652 rated high risk or historically affected. Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.
Is Burleigh Heads bushfire-prone?
Yes - around 45% of Burleigh Heads is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Gold Coast City average of 48%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.
What is the zoning in Burleigh Heads?
The dominant planning zone in Burleigh Heads is Conservation, though the suburb also includes Low density residential and Low impact industry. Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.
Does Burleigh Heads have heritage-listed places?
Burleigh Heads has 14 heritage-listed places on record. Heritage listing affects what you can alter or demolish, so confirm whether a specific property is listed or near a heritage place.
Is Burleigh Heads hilly or flat?
Burleigh Heads is gently undulating: the median lot slope is about 4%, and 21% of properties sit on slopes of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 3 m to 66 m AHD across the suburb. Slope drives site costs - cut and fill, retaining walls and driveway grades - so it is worth knowing before you commit to a sloping block.
What is the typical lot size in Burleigh Heads?
Across 6,000 surveyed parcels in Burleigh Heads, the median lot size is about 401 m². There are also 999 registered easements mapped in the suburb - an easement can restrict where you can build, so always check the title and overlays for the specific lot.
Does Burleigh Heads have a train station?
There is no train station inside Burleigh Heads itself. The suburb is served by 21 bus stops.
What is the population of Burleigh Heads?
At the 2021 Census Burleigh Heads had 10,572 usual residents, with a median age of 42 and an average household size of 2.2 people. The wider Burleigh Heads statistical area, which contains Burleigh Heads, went from 7,346 people in 2001 to 10,055 in 2025, up 37%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Burleigh Heads alone.
Is Burleigh Heads an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Burleigh Heads scores 1040 and sits in decile 8 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within Queensland - decile 1 being the most disadvantaged tenth of Australian suburbs and decile 10 the least. The national average score is 1000. SEIFA summarises income, education, occupation and housing across the whole suburb, so it describes the area, not any particular household in it.
What is the median household income in Burleigh Heads?
Median household income in Burleigh Heads was $1,701 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,830 for the typical suburb in Gold Coast City. Median rent was $480 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,058 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.
Do I need a planning report for a Burleigh Heads property?
A Burleigh Heads planning report pulls every overlay - zoning, flood, bushfire, heritage and environmental - that touches a single lot, on live council and state data. The interactive map preview is free; a full PDF report is $9.