Lake Macdonald flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Lake Macdonald (Noosa Shire, QLD) - 26.45 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
26.45 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Lake Macdonald'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.
Lake Macdonald at a glance
How Lake Macdonald is zoned
Selling in Lake Macdonald? 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 26.45 km², Lake Macdonald is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 41% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 69% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 10,002 m² across 684 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 Lake Macdonald
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Lake Macdonald 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 1005, and decile 8 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Lake Macdonald's 1,352 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Noosa Hinterland, the wider ABS statistical area containing Lake Macdonald. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Lake Macdonald itself.
16,124 in 2001 to 26,251 in 2025, up 63%.
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 Lake Macdonald 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 →Lake Macdonald planning - frequently asked
Where can I see a flood map of Lake Macdonald?
The schematic on this page is a Lake Macdonald flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid, covering about 41% of the suburb. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Lake Macdonald address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.
Is Lake Macdonald flood-prone?
About 41% of Lake Macdonald falls within a mapped flood overlay, against a Noosa Shire average of 33%. Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.
Is Lake Macdonald bushfire-prone?
Yes - around 69% of Lake Macdonald is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Noosa Shire average of 76%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.
What is the zoning in Lake Macdonald?
The dominant planning zone in Lake Macdonald is Rural, though the suburb also includes Environmental Management and Conservation and Rural Residential. Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.
Does Lake Macdonald have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Lake Macdonald. Even so, it is worth confirming for an individual property before any works.
What is the typical lot size in Lake Macdonald?
Across 684 surveyed parcels in Lake Macdonald, the median lot size is about 10,002 m². There are also 154 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.
What is the population of Lake Macdonald?
At the 2021 Census Lake Macdonald had 1,352 usual residents, with a median age of 49 and an average household size of 2.6 people. The wider Noosa Hinterland statistical area, which contains Lake Macdonald, went from 16,124 people in 2001 to 26,251 in 2025, up 63%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Lake Macdonald alone.
Is Lake Macdonald an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Lake Macdonald scores 1005 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 8 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 Lake Macdonald?
Median household income in Lake Macdonald was $1,771 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,602 for the typical suburb in Noosa Shire. Median rent was $420 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,733 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.
Do I need a planning report for a Lake Macdonald property?
A Lake Macdonald 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.