Mackay flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Mackay (Mackay Regional, QLD) - 4.37 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 Mackay's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.

Nearby suburbs, nearest first

How common is mapped flood risk across Mackay properties?

Overlay percentages say how much land is constrained; these figures say how many properties are actually touched in a suburb-wide analysis of 3,512 Mackay properties. No individual property result is identified on this page.

Mackay at a glance

Parcels 3,210 Median lot 638 m² Mapped easements 324 Bus stops 23 Schools in suburb 3 Landslide overlay 5%

Schools in and near Mackay

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

3

1 school providing primary years and 2 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 Mackay is zoned

Principal centre 31%
Open space 25%
Medium density residential 20%
Mackay Waterfront PDA 12%
Low impact industry 4%
Mixed use 4%

Selling in Mackay? 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 4.37 km², Mackay is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 98% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 113 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Principal centre. The terrain is largely flat, and the median lot measures about 638 m² across 3,210 parcels.

Who lives in Mackay

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

Population
4,026
usual residents, 2021
Median age
38
years
Median household income
$1,239
per week, Mackay Regional suburb typical $1,937
Median rent
$270
per week, Mackay Regional suburb typical $272
Median mortgage
$1,387
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 906, and decile 2 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 1
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Mackay's 4,026 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 3.9%
5-14 8.3%
15-19 4.6%
20-24 9.8%
25-34 18.5%
35-44 14.7%
45-54 13.4%
55-64 13.5%
65-74 7.9%
75-84 3.7%
85+ 1.6%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

3,397 in 2001 to 4,154 in 2025, up 22%.

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.

Mackay 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

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 Mackay 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 Mackay. 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 Mackay lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Mackay planning - frequently asked

Is Mackay flood-prone?

About 98% of Mackay falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 34%. Across the suburb, 100% of the 3,512 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 1 rated high risk or historically affected.

Is Mackay bushfire-prone?

Bushfire mapping covers Mackay and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone (the Mackay Regional average is 26%).

What is the zoning in Mackay?

The dominant planning zone in Mackay is Principal centre, though the suburb also includes Open space and Medium density residential.

Does Mackay have heritage-listed places?

Mackay has 113 heritage-listed places on record.

Is Mackay hilly or flat?

Mackay is largely flat: the median ground slope is about 1%. Ground level runs from roughly 4 m to 8 m AHD across the suburb.

What is the typical lot size in Mackay?

Across 3,210 surveyed parcels in Mackay, the median lot size is about 638 m². There are also 324 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Mackay have a train station?

There is no train station inside Mackay itself. The suburb is served by 23 bus stops.

What is the population of Mackay?

At the 2021 Census Mackay had 4,026 usual residents, with a median age of 38 and an average household size of 1.9 people. The wider Mackay statistical area, which contains Mackay, went from 3,397 people in 2001 to 4,154 in 2025, up 22%.

Is Mackay an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Mackay scores 906 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Mackay?

Median household income in Mackay was $1,239 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,937 for the typical suburb in Mackay Regional. Median rent was $270 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,387 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Cremorne 1.2 km 100% 0%
East Mackay 1.8 km 92% 1%
North Mackay 2.4 km 81% <1%
West Mackay 2.5 km 74% 2%
South Mackay 2.6 km 86% 3%
Mount Pleasant 3.6 km 30% 2%
Mackay Harbour 4.1 km 70% 17%
Foulden 4.2 km 100% 0%
Andergrove 5.6 km 72% 14%
Paget 5.6 km 81% 6%

See all Mackay Regional suburb profiles →