Areas / Brisbane City / Forest Lake

Forest Lake flood map & planning overlays

22,676 residents, more than any other suburb in Brisbane City. Plenty of neighbours to meet.

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A planning-constraint profile of Forest Lake (Brisbane City, QLD) - 9.86 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 Forest Lake'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 Forest Lake properties?

Counts of properties, not share of land, across 9,476 analysed Forest Lake properties; no individual property result is identified.

Has Forest Lake flooded? Flood history and overland flow

Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Forest Lake: 72 of the 9,476 properties we analysed (0.8%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (February 2022: 72). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.

Suburb-wide totals across 9,476 analysed properties; they do not identify or describe any individual property.

Recorded historical flood mapping

0.8%

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

  • February 2022: 72

Mapped overland flow

4.6%

434 analysed properties carry a mapped overland-flow category.

  • Low: 67
  • Medium: 68
  • High: 93
  • Affected: 206

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 Forest Lake

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
88%
of the suburb's area
Lowest measured
500 ft
averaging 4,000 ft
Busiest square
~74 a day
2 a day below 3,000 ft · ±7%
typical observed square 1 a day

Night movements: observed, lowest 1,500 ft - night is sampled as often as day, but night traffic is light, so this is a floor and no rate can be put on it.

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.

Forest Lake at a glance

Parcels 8,546 Median lot 490 m² Mapped easements 293 Bus stops 43 Schools in suburb 7 Landslide overlay <1%

Schools in and near Forest Lake

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

7

3 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 Forest Lake is zoned

Low density residential 64%
Open space (Local) 10%
Education purposes 5%
Open space (District) 4%
Rural residential 4%
Conservation (District) 3%

Selling in Forest Lake? 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 9.86 km², Forest Lake is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 11% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 29% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low density residential. The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 490 m² across 8,546 parcels.

Recent development applications in Forest Lake

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

43

Latest included submission: 3 November 2026.

Previous 12 months: 29 (48% higher in the latest period).

Common application types

  • Reconfiguring a lot: 7
  • Building work: 9
  • Operational work: 22

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 7 November 2026. Check the official council register.

Who lives in Forest Lake

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

Population
22,676
usual residents, 2021
Median age
37
years
Median household income
$1,921
per week, Brisbane City suburb typical $2,122
Median rent
$390
per week, Brisbane City suburb typical $410
Median mortgage
$1,690
per month
Household size
2.8
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 997, and decile 7 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 5
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Forest Lake's 22,676 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 6.0%
5-14 14.2%
15-19 7.5%
20-24 6.0%
25-34 12.3%
35-44 13.7%
45-54 15.2%
55-64 11.9%
65-74 7.8%
75-84 4.1%
85+ 1.2%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

14,091 in 2001 to 24,080 in 2025, up 71%.

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.

Forest Lake property market snapshot

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

House sales

$980,000

Median sale price from 355 sales over 12 months to March 2026.

Unit sales

$660,000

Median sale price from 117 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.

Forest Lake 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
Market statisticsAvailable at SA2 levelQueensland Government Statistician's Office (QGSO)
Development applicationsAvailable as suburb totalsBrisbane 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 Forest Lake 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 88% of Forest Lake. 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 9,500 Forest Lake 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 Forest Lake lot.

Forest Lake planning - frequently asked

Is Forest Lake flood-prone?

About 11% of Forest Lake falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 31%. Across the suburb, 1% of the 9,476 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 76 rated high risk or historically affected. Modelled flood depth, velocity and flood level are held for about 9,500 Forest Lake addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.

Has Forest Lake flooded?

Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Forest Lake: 72 of the 9,476 properties we analysed (0.8%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (February 2022: 72). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.

Is Forest Lake bushfire-prone?

Around 29% of Forest Lake is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Brisbane City average of 27%.

Is Forest Lake under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 88% of Forest Lake, 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 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 74 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 Forest Lake?

The dominant planning zone in Forest Lake is Low density residential, though the suburb also includes Open space (Local) and Education purposes.

Does Forest Lake have heritage-listed places?

Forest Lake has 1 heritage-listed place on record.

Is Forest Lake hilly or flat?

Forest Lake is gently undulating: the median ground slope is about 5%. Ground level runs from roughly 28 m to 77 m AHD across the suburb.

What is the typical lot size in Forest Lake?

Across 8,546 surveyed parcels in Forest Lake, the median lot size is about 490 m². There are also 293 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Forest Lake have a train station?

There is no train station inside Forest Lake itself. The suburb is served by 43 bus stops.

What is the population of Forest Lake?

At the 2021 Census Forest Lake had 22,676 usual residents, with a median age of 37 and an average household size of 2.8 people. The wider Forest Lake - Ellen Grove statistical area, which contains Forest Lake, went from 14,091 people in 2001 to 24,080 in 2025, up 71%.

Is Forest Lake an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Forest Lake scores 997 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 Forest Lake?

Median household income in Forest Lake was $1,921 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,122 for the typical suburb in Brisbane City. Median rent was $390 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,690 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Ellen Grove 2.0 km 10% 59%
Doolandella 2.3 km 22% 66%
Inala 3.2 km 8% 5%
Heathwood 3.3 km 18% 46%
Carole Park
Ipswich City		 3.6 km 43% 37%
Richlands 3.8 km 6% 3%
Durack 3.9 km 34% 26%
Pallara 4.3 km 43% 58%
Larapinta 4.6 km 40% 54%
Willawong 4.9 km 65% 35%

See all Brisbane City suburb profiles →