Merrimac flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Merrimac (Gold Coast City, QLD) - 8.99 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
8.99 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Merrimac'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.
Merrimac flood risk at the property level
Overlay percentages say how much land is constrained; these figures say how many properties are actually touched, from our lot-by-lot analysis of 3,001 Merrimac properties.
Lot-level readout
Flood-risk rating across all 3,001 properties
From LayeredGeo's lot-risk engine: council flood overlays, historical flooding and terrain, resolved to each individual lot in Merrimac.
Merrimac at a glance
How Merrimac is zoned
Selling in Merrimac? 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 8.99 km², Merrimac is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 94% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 23% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Limited development (constrained land). The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 376 m² across 2,947 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 Merrimac
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Merrimac 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 986, and decile 7 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Merrimac's 7,212 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Merrimac, the wider ABS statistical area containing Merrimac. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Merrimac itself.
5,003 in 2001 to 7,423 in 2025, up 48%.
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 Merrimac 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 →Merrimac planning - frequently asked
Where can I see a flood map of Merrimac?
The schematic on this page is a Merrimac flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid, covering about 94% of the suburb. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Merrimac address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.
Is Merrimac flood-prone?
About 94% of Merrimac falls within a mapped flood overlay, against a Gold Coast City average of 49%. Looking lot by lot, 42% of the 3,001 properties we analysed in Merrimac carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 1110 rated high risk or historically affected. Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.
Is Merrimac bushfire-prone?
Yes - around 23% of Merrimac is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Gold Coast City average of 48%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.
What is the zoning in Merrimac?
The dominant planning zone in Merrimac is Limited development (constrained land), though the suburb also includes Low density residential and Special purpose. Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.
Does Merrimac have heritage-listed places?
Merrimac has 1 heritage-listed place on record. Heritage listing affects what you can alter or demolish, so confirm whether a specific property is listed or near a heritage place.
Is Merrimac hilly or flat?
Merrimac is gently undulating: the median lot slope is about 6%. Ground level runs from roughly 1 m to 24 m AHD across the suburb. Slope drives site costs - cut and fill, retaining walls and driveway grades - so it is worth knowing before you commit to a sloping block.
What is the typical lot size in Merrimac?
Across 2,947 surveyed parcels in Merrimac, the median lot size is about 376 m². There are also 569 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.
Does Merrimac have a train station?
There is no train station inside Merrimac itself. The suburb is served by 20 bus stops.
What is the population of Merrimac?
At the 2021 Census Merrimac had 7,212 usual residents, with a median age of 38 and an average household size of 2.6 people. The wider Merrimac statistical area, which contains Merrimac, went from 5,003 people in 2001 to 7,423 in 2025, up 48%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Merrimac alone.
Is Merrimac an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Merrimac scores 986 and sits in decile 5 of 10 nationally and decile 7 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 Merrimac?
Median household income in Merrimac was $1,688 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,830 for the typical suburb in Gold Coast City. Median rent was $463 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 Merrimac property?
A Merrimac 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.