Preston flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Preston
(Whitsunday Regional, QLD) - 42.69 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 19 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
42.69 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Preston's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Preston at a glance
Schools in and near Preston
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
0 schools providing primary years and 0 providing secondary years. A combined school may be counted in both teaching levels.
Nearest school availability
Primary: 3.87 km from the suburb boundary
Secondary: 3.87 km from the suburb boundary
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 Preston is zoned
Selling in Preston? 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 42.69 km², Preston is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 61% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 68% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 21,188 m² across 267 parcels.
Who lives in Preston
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Preston 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 962, and decile 5 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Preston's 346 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Proserpine, the wider ABS statistical area containing Preston. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Preston itself.
7,033 in 2001 to 9,503 in 2025, up 35%.
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.
Preston data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Mapped | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Zoning | Mapped | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data, Defence |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
| School availability | Available | Queensland 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 Preston 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 Preston. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$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 Preston lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Preston planning - frequently asked
Is Preston flood-prone?
About 61% of Preston falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 48%.
Is Preston bushfire-prone?
Around 68% of Preston is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Whitsunday Regional average of 69%.
What is the zoning in Preston?
The dominant planning zone in Preston is Rural, though the suburb also includes Rural residential and Tourist accommodation.
Does Preston have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Preston.
What is the typical lot size in Preston?
Across 267 surveyed parcels in Preston, the median lot size is about 21,188 m². There are also 60 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Preston?
At the 2021 Census Preston had 346 usual residents, with a median age of 47 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Proserpine statistical area, which contains Preston, went from 7,033 people in 2001 to 9,503 in 2025, up 35%.
Is Preston an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Preston scores 962 and sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally and decile 5 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Preston?
Median household income in Preston was $1,803 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,499 for the typical suburb in Whitsunday Regional. Median rent was $200 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,517 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Palm Grove | 3.9 km | 16% | 86% |
| Glen Isla | 4.2 km | 99% | 37% |
| Mount Marlow | 6.3 km | 42% | 76% |
| Mount Julian | 6.4 km | 53% | 65% |
| Breadalbane | 6.8 km | 100% | 35% |
| Brandy Creek | 7.5 km | <1% | 92% |
| Conway | 7.8 km | 42% | 77% |
| Hamilton Plains | 9.0 km | 99% | 34% |
| Cannon Valley | 9.2 km | 42% | 76% |
| Strathdickie | 9.9 km | 31% | 70% |