Chelmer flood map & planning overlays
80.9% flood-mapped, 9th-highest in Brisbane City. A suburb where the flood map is required reading.
Most lots here are flood-mapped. The free check shows how much of one lot the overlay covers, and the modelled depth where a flood study reaches it.
Free map preview, then PDF reports from $9 - about the price of an iced latte on a public holiday.
A planning-constraint profile of Chelmer
(Brisbane City, QLD) - 1.84 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 7 November 2026.
Constraint readout
1.84 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Chelmer'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 Chelmer properties?
Counts of properties, not share of land, across 1,638 analysed Chelmer properties; no individual property result is identified.
Lot-level readout
Flood-risk rating across all 1,638 properties
From LayeredGeo's lot-risk engine: council flood overlays, historical flooding and terrain, resolved to each individual lot in Chelmer.
Has Chelmer flooded? Flood history and overland flow
Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Chelmer: 1,213 of the 1,638 properties we analysed (74.1%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (Historic Flood 1974: 1,210, January 2011: 970, February 2022: 638). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.
Suburb-wide totals across 1,638 analysed properties; they do not identify or describe any individual property.
Recorded historical flood mapping
1,213 analysed properties intersect at least one mapped historical event extent.
- Historic Flood 1974: 1,210
- January 2011: 970
- February 2022: 638
Mapped overland flow
382 analysed properties carry a mapped overland-flow category.
- Low: 91
- Medium: 179
- High: 9
- Affected: 103
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.
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Chelmer
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
typical observed square 4 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.
Chelmer at a glance
Schools in and near Chelmer
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 schools providing primary years and 1 providing secondary years. A combined school may be counted in both teaching levels.
Nearest school availability
Primary: 0.06 km from the suburb boundary
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 Chelmer is zoned
Selling in Chelmer? 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 1.84 km², Chelmer is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 81% 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 density residential. The terrain is largely flat, and the median lot measures about 508 m² across 1,463 parcels.
Recent development applications in Chelmer
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
Latest included submission: 28 October 2026.
Previous 12 months: 36 (42% lower in the latest period).
Common application types
- Building work: 17
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 8 November 2026. Check the official council register.
Who lives in Chelmer
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Chelmer 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 1166, and decile 10 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Chelmer's 3,325 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Chelmer - Graceville, the wider ABS statistical area containing Chelmer. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Chelmer itself.
6,612 in 2001 to 8,015 in 2025, up 21%.
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.
Chelmer property market snapshot
Queensland Government publishes this as a SA2 market series for Chelmer - Graceville, the wider statistical area containing Chelmer. It is not a valuation and is not specific to this suburb or any individual property.
House sales
Median sale price from 200 sales over 12 months to March 2026.
Unit sales
Median sale price from 30 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.
Chelmer data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Mapped | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Zoning | Mapped | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data, Defence |
| Observed flight paths | Observed | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
| School availability | Available | Queensland Government |
| Market statistics | Available at SA2 level | Queensland Government Statistician's Office (QGSO) |
| Development applications | Available as suburb totals | Brisbane City Council |
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 Chelmer 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 100% of Chelmer. 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 here: a Flood Model Report is available for about 1,600 Chelmer 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 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 Chelmer lot.
Chelmer planning - frequently asked
Is Chelmer flood-prone?
About 81% of Chelmer falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 31%. Across the suburb, 88% of the 1,638 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 177 rated high risk or historically affected. Modelled flood depth, velocity and flood level are held for about 1,600 Chelmer addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.
Has Chelmer flooded?
Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Chelmer: 1,213 of the 1,638 properties we analysed (74.1%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (Historic Flood 1974: 1,210, January 2011: 970, February 2022: 638). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.
Is Chelmer bushfire-prone?
Bushfire mapping covers Chelmer and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone (the Brisbane City average is 27%).
Is Chelmer under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Chelmer, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 7 Nov 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 1,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 14 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 Chelmer?
The dominant planning zone in Chelmer is Low density residential, though the suburb also includes Character residential (Character) and Sport and recreation (District).
Does Chelmer have heritage-listed places?
Chelmer has 20 heritage-listed places on record.
Is Chelmer hilly or flat?
Chelmer is largely flat: the median ground slope is about 4%, and 7% of measured points sit on grades of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 5 m to 18 m AHD across the suburb.
What is the typical lot size in Chelmer?
Across 1,463 surveyed parcels in Chelmer, the median lot size is about 508 m². There are also 82 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Chelmer have a train station?
Yes - Chelmer has 1 train station: Chelmer station. It is also served by 6 bus stops.
What is the population of Chelmer?
At the 2021 Census Chelmer had 3,325 usual residents, with a median age of 41 and an average household size of 3.0 people. The wider Chelmer - Graceville statistical area, which contains Chelmer, went from 6,612 people in 2001 to 8,015 in 2025, up 21%.
Is Chelmer an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Chelmer scores 1166 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 Chelmer?
Median household income in Chelmer was $3,402 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,122 for the typical suburb in Brisbane City. Median rent was $490 a week and the median mortgage repayment $3,000 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Indooroopilly | 0.9 km | 49% | 40% |
| Graceville | 1.2 km | 71% | 0% |
| Sherwood | 2.1 km | 53% | 12% |
| Taringa | 2.1 km | 20% | 39% |
| Fig Tree Pocket | 2.3 km | 57% | 66% |
| Chapel Hill | 2.9 km | 13% | 65% |
| Tennyson | 3.1 km | 84% | 11% |
| St Lucia | 3.4 km | 55% | 13% |
| Corinda | 3.5 km | 45% | 27% |
| Yeronga | 3.6 km | 58% | <1% |