Rocklea flood map & planning overlays
98.9% flood-mapped, the highest in Brisbane City, with 189 flights a day overhead. Low ground, busy skies.
Most lots here are flood-mapped. The free check shows how much of one lot the overlay covers, and the modelled depth where a flood study reaches it.
Free map preview, then PDF reports from $9 - about the price of an iced latte on a public holiday.
A planning-constraint profile of Rocklea
(Brisbane City, QLD) - 9.34 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 7 November 2026.
Constraint readout
9.34 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Rocklea's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Amber hatching is the published aircraft noise (ANEF) contour. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
How common is mapped flood risk across Rocklea properties?
Counts of properties, not share of land, across 2,137 analysed Rocklea properties; no individual property result is identified.
Lot-level readout
Flood-risk rating across all 2,137 properties
From LayeredGeo's lot-risk engine: council flood overlays, historical flooding and terrain, resolved to each individual lot in Rocklea.
Has Rocklea flooded? Flood history and overland flow
Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Rocklea: 2,092 of the 2,137 properties we analysed (97.9%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (Historic Flood 1974: 2,091, January 2011: 1,947, February 2022: 1,664). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.
Suburb-wide totals across 2,137 analysed properties; they do not identify or describe any individual property.
Recorded historical flood mapping
2,092 analysed properties intersect at least one mapped historical event extent.
- Historic Flood 1974: 2,091
- January 2011: 1,947
- February 2022: 1,664
Mapped overland flow
433 analysed properties carry a mapped overland-flow category.
- Low: 126
- Medium: 183
- High: 28
- Affected: 96
Source: Brisbane City Council flood mapping, aggregated by LayeredGeo. Categories are only shown where at least five analysed properties share them. An address-level check is still required to determine whether a particular lot is mapped.
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Rocklea
The ANEF contour is a published planning forecast and observed overflight is what a sampled tracking feed recorded - neither describes any individual property.
Inside an aircraft noise contour
10% of the suburb's land sits inside a published ANEF or airport-environs contour. Contours vary street by street, so whether a particular lot is inside one needs a property-level check.
Highest contour present
Under AS 2021, land at ANEF 30 and above is generally unacceptable for new houses and most noise-sensitive uses. The contour is a forecast, not a measurement at any one house.
Contours held
- Brisbane City Plan Airport Environs ANEF
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 7 Nov 2026
typical observed square 18 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 500 ft - night is sampled as often as day, but night traffic is light, so this is a floor and no rate can be put on it.
How this is measured
Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously, so every figure is a floor: aircraft not captured between samples are not represented. Rates are per 500 m square - the busiest square in the suburb, not a count of flights over the suburb - and a square is only rated where enough traffic was seen to measure it. Altitudes are above mean sea level. Flight paths change with runway use, weather, season and airspace design. This is a record of observed traffic; it is not a noise contour and not a planning control.
Rocklea at a glance
Schools in and near Rocklea
Public school-location data shows availability across the suburb; it does not rate schools or assign any individual address to a catchment.
Inside the suburb boundary
1 school providing primary years and 0 providing secondary years. A combined school may be counted in both teaching levels.
Nearest school availability
Primary: inside the suburb
Secondary: 0.01 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 Rocklea is zoned
Selling in Rocklea? 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 9.34 km², Rocklea is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 99% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 8% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 5 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is General industry C. The terrain is largely flat, and the median lot measures about 601 m² across 1,979 parcels.
Recent development applications in Rocklea
Applications are counted across the whole gazetted suburb from the public Brisbane City Council register. No application address or individual property is published here.
Submitted in the past 12 months
Latest included submission: 6 November 2026.
Previous 12 months: 29 (48% higher in the latest period).
Common application types
- Material change of use: 24
- Building work: 20
Counts depend on applications that the council publishes and that can be assigned to a suburb. Categories can overlap when one application covers several types. Totals below five and their latest dates are suppressed. Register last synchronised 8 November 2026. Check the official council register.
Who lives in Rocklea
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Rocklea 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 968, and decile 6 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Rocklea's 1,672 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Rocklea - Acacia Ridge, the wider ABS statistical area containing Rocklea. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Rocklea itself.
8,802 in 2001 to 10,061 in 2025, up 14%.
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.
Rocklea property market snapshot
Queensland Government publishes this as a SA2 market series for Rocklea - Acacia Ridge, the wider statistical area containing Rocklea. It is not a valuation and is not specific to this suburb or any individual property.
House sales
Median sale price from 173 sales over 12 months to March 2026.
Unit sales
Median sale price from 51 sales over 12 months to March 2026.
Source: Queensland Government Statistician's Office (QGSO). View the source profile. The same SA2 figure can appear on several suburb pages within that statistical area.
Rocklea 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) | Inside a held contour | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data, Defence |
| Observed flight paths | Observed | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
| School availability | Available | Queensland Government |
| Market statistics | Available at SA2 level | Queensland Government Statistician's Office (QGSO) |
| Development applications | Available as suburb totals | Brisbane City Council |
Profile last materially updated 7 November 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 Rocklea 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 →Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Rocklea. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Published flood models are held here: a Flood Model Report is available for about 2,100 Rocklea addresses (+$9 with the planning report).
The Terrain Report shows the fall of the block - contours, cross sections and a 3D model of the lot to spin round in your browser (+$9 with the planning report).
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and the indicative soil reactivity range to expect for a Rocklea lot.
Rocklea planning - frequently asked
Is Rocklea flood-prone?
About 99% of Rocklea falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 31%. Across the suburb, 100% of the 2,137 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 943 rated high risk or historically affected. Modelled flood depth, velocity and flood level are held for about 2,100 Rocklea addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.
Has Rocklea flooded?
Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Rocklea: 2,092 of the 2,137 properties we analysed (97.9%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (Historic Flood 1974: 2,091, January 2011: 1,947, February 2022: 1,664). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.
Is Rocklea bushfire-prone?
Around 8% of Rocklea is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Brisbane City average of 27%.
Is Rocklea affected by aircraft noise?
About 10% of Rocklea sits inside a published aircraft noise contour, and the highest contour present is ANEF 30 - under AS 2021, land above ANEF 25 is generally considered unacceptable for new houses, and 20-25 conditionally acceptable with noise attenuation. ANEF contours are forecasts published per airport and used to control noise-sensitive development; they are not a measurement at any one house, and a property can sit under a flight path and outside every contour.
Is Rocklea under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Rocklea, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 7 Nov 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 1,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 191 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously and flight paths change with runway use, weather and season; the ANEF contour is the planning instrument.
What is the zoning in Rocklea?
The dominant planning zone in Rocklea is General industry C, though the suburb also includes Open space and Specialised centre (Brisbane Markets).
Does Rocklea have heritage-listed places?
Rocklea has 5 heritage-listed places on record.
Is Rocklea hilly or flat?
Rocklea is largely flat: the median ground slope is about 2%. Ground level runs from roughly 3 m to 12 m AHD across the suburb.
What is the typical lot size in Rocklea?
Across 1,979 surveyed parcels in Rocklea, the median lot size is about 601 m². There are also 344 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Rocklea have a train station?
There is no train station inside Rocklea itself. The suburb is served by 13 bus stops.
What is the population of Rocklea?
At the 2021 Census Rocklea had 1,672 usual residents, with a median age of 34 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Rocklea - Acacia Ridge statistical area, which contains Rocklea, went from 8,802 people in 2001 to 10,061 in 2025, up 14%.
Is Rocklea an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Rocklea scores 968 and sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally and decile 6 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Rocklea?
Median household income in Rocklea was $1,493 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,122 for the typical suburb in Brisbane City. Median rent was $335 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,635 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Archerfield | 1.8 km | 65% | 1% |
| Yeerongpilly | 2.2 km | 76% | 0% |
| Salisbury | 2.3 km | 16% | 16% |
| Corinda | 2.4 km | 45% | 27% |
| Moorooka | 2.5 km | 15% | 13% |
| Tennyson | 2.7 km | 84% | 11% |
| Coopers Plains | 3.4 km | 46% | 8% |
| Sherwood | 3.4 km | 53% | 12% |
| Oxley | 3.5 km | 49% | 25% |
| Acacia Ridge | 4.0 km | 22% | 3% |