Caloundra flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Caloundra (Sunshine Coast Regional, QLD) - 3.24 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 Caloundra's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

How common is mapped flood risk across Caloundra properties?

Overlay percentages say how much land is constrained; these figures say how many properties are actually touched in a suburb-wide analysis of 3,683 Caloundra properties. No individual property result is identified on this page.

Caloundra at a glance

Parcels 3,805 Median lot 554 m² Mapped easements 194 Bus stops 26 Schools in suburb 5 Landslide overlay 3%

Schools in and near Caloundra

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

5

2 schools providing primary years and 4 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 Caloundra is zoned

Sport and Recreation 28%
Major Centre 17%
Community Facilities 17%
Medium Density Residential 16%
Environmental Management and Conservation 9%
Open Space 6%

Selling in Caloundra? 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 3.24 km², Caloundra is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 13% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 11% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 5 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Sport and Recreation. The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 554 m² across 3,805 parcels.

Recent development applications in Caloundra

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

Submitted in the past 12 months

21

Latest included submission: 2 September 2026.

Previous 12 months: 10 (110% higher in the latest period).

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 20 September 2026. Check the official council register.

Who lives in Caloundra

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

Population
3,932
usual residents, 2021
Median age
58
years
Median household income
$980
per week, Sunshine Coast Regional suburb typical $1,677
Median rent
$360
per week, Sunshine Coast Regional suburb typical $409
Median mortgage
$1,600
per month
Household size
1.9
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 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 919, and decile 3 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Caloundra's 3,932 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 2.6%
5-14 6.0%
15-19 4.0%
20-24 4.1%
25-34 8.8%
35-44 8.8%
45-54 11.4%
55-64 16.1%
65-74 17.1%
75-84 13.9%
85+ 7.2%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

5,220 in 2001 to 7,094 in 2025, up 36%.

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.

Caloundra 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
Development applicationsAvailable as suburb totalsSunshine Coast Council

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 Caloundra 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 Caloundra. 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 Caloundra lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Caloundra planning - frequently asked

Is Caloundra flood-prone?

About 13% of Caloundra falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 30%. Across the suburb, 19% of the 3,683 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 327 rated high risk or historically affected.

Is Caloundra bushfire-prone?

Around 11% of Caloundra is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Sunshine Coast Regional average of 38%.

What is the zoning in Caloundra?

The dominant planning zone in Caloundra is Sport and Recreation, though the suburb also includes Major Centre and Community Facilities.

Does Caloundra have heritage-listed places?

Caloundra has 5 heritage-listed places on record.

Is Caloundra hilly or flat?

Caloundra is gently undulating: the median ground slope is about 5%, and 4% of measured points sit on grades of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 2 m to 32 m AHD across the suburb.

What is the typical lot size in Caloundra?

Across 3,805 surveyed parcels in Caloundra, the median lot size is about 554 m². There are also 194 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Caloundra have a train station?

There is no train station inside Caloundra itself. The suburb is served by 26 bus stops.

What is the population of Caloundra?

At the 2021 Census Caloundra had 3,932 usual residents, with a median age of 58 and an average household size of 1.9 people. The wider Caloundra - Kings Beach statistical area, which contains Caloundra, went from 5,220 people in 2001 to 7,094 in 2025, up 36%.

Is Caloundra an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Caloundra scores 919 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 3 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Caloundra?

Median household income in Caloundra was $980 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,677 for the typical suburb in Sunshine Coast Regional. Median rent was $360 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,600 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Moffat Beach 1.0 km 6% 7%
Dicky Beach 1.7 km 8% 10%
Kings Beach 1.7 km 1% <1%
Shelly Beach 1.8 km 9% 2%
Aroona 2.0 km 3% 19%
Battery Hill 2.1 km 12% 3%
Caloundra West 2.8 km 46% 48%
Golden Beach 3.0 km 71% 2%
Currimundi 3.4 km 38% 9%
Little Mountain 3.5 km 10% 23%

See all Sunshine Coast Regional suburb profiles →