Palmwoods flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Palmwoods (Sunshine Coast Regional, QLD) - 23.89 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
23.89 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Palmwoods'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.
Palmwoods 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 3,104 Palmwoods properties.
Lot-level readout
Flood-risk rating across all 3,104 properties
From LayeredGeo's lot-risk engine: council flood overlays, historical flooding and terrain, resolved to each individual lot in Palmwoods.
Palmwoods at a glance
How Palmwoods is zoned
Selling in Palmwoods? 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 23.89 km², Palmwoods is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 20% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 43% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 11 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural. The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 794 m² across 2,930 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 Palmwoods
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Palmwoods 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 998, and decile 7 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Palmwoods's 6,357 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Palmwoods, the wider ABS statistical area containing Palmwoods. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Palmwoods itself.
8,062 in 2001 to 13,537 in 2025, up 68%.
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 Palmwoods 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 →Palmwoods planning - frequently asked
Where can I see a flood map of Palmwoods?
The schematic on this page is a Palmwoods flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid, covering about 20% of the suburb. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Palmwoods address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.
Is Palmwoods flood-prone?
About 20% of Palmwoods falls within a mapped flood overlay, against a Sunshine Coast Regional average of 32%. Looking lot by lot, 18% of the 3,104 properties we analysed in Palmwoods carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 397 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 Palmwoods bushfire-prone?
Yes - around 43% of Palmwoods is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Sunshine Coast Regional average of 38%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.
What is the zoning in Palmwoods?
The dominant planning zone in Palmwoods is Rural, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Environmental Management and Conservation. Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.
Does Palmwoods have heritage-listed places?
Palmwoods has 11 heritage-listed places 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 Palmwoods hilly or flat?
Palmwoods is gently undulating: the median lot slope is about 9%, and 13% of properties sit on slopes of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 19 m to 63 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 Palmwoods?
Across 2,930 surveyed parcels in Palmwoods, the median lot size is about 794 m². There are also 1,195 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 Palmwoods have a train station?
Yes - Palmwoods has 1 train station: Palmwoods station. It is also served by 11 bus stops.
What is the population of Palmwoods?
At the 2021 Census Palmwoods had 6,357 usual residents, with a median age of 43 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Palmwoods statistical area, which contains Palmwoods, went from 8,062 people in 2001 to 13,537 in 2025, up 68%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Palmwoods alone.
Is Palmwoods an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Palmwoods scores 998 and sits in decile 6 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 Palmwoods?
Median household income in Palmwoods was $1,738 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,674 for the typical suburb in Sunshine Coast Regional. Median rent was $430 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,878 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.
Do I need a planning report for a Palmwoods property?
A Palmwoods 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.