Shoalwater flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Shoalwater
(Livingstone Shire, QLD) - 4529.53 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 16 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
4529.53 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Shoalwater's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Shoalwater at a glance
Schools in and near Shoalwater
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: 3.26 km from the suburb boundary
Secondary: 27.83 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 Shoalwater is zoned
Selling in Shoalwater? 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 4529.53 km², Shoalwater is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 2% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 58% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Special purpose. The median lot measures about 45,627 m² across 168 parcels.
Who lives in Shoalwater
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Shoalwater 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 1005, and decile 8 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Shoalwater Bay, the wider ABS statistical area containing Shoalwater. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Shoalwater itself.
11 in 2001 to 22 in 2025, up 100%.
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.
Shoalwater 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 16 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 Shoalwater 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.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Shoalwater lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Shoalwater planning - frequently asked
Is Shoalwater flood-prone?
About 2% of Shoalwater falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 42%.
Is Shoalwater bushfire-prone?
Around 58% of Shoalwater is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Livingstone Shire average of 53%.
What is the zoning in Shoalwater?
The dominant planning zone in Shoalwater is Special purpose, though the suburb also includes Rural and Environmental management and conservation.
Does Shoalwater have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Shoalwater.
What is the typical lot size in Shoalwater?
Across 168 surveyed parcels in Shoalwater, the median lot size is about 45,627 m².
Is Shoalwater an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Shoalwater scores 1005 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 8 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weerriba | 36.7 km | 0% | 89% |
| Byfield | 44.8 km | 6% | 98% |
| Canal Creek | 47.1 km | 58% | 80% |
| Stockyard | 48.4 km | 8% | 50% |
| Kunwarara | 53.3 km | 11% | 53% |
| Maryvale | 53.4 km | 65% | 93% |
| Stanage | 54.1 km | 22% | 18% |
| Woodbury | 57.0 km | 60% | 73% |
| Greenlake | 57.5 km | 83% | 38% |
| Rossmoya | 58.4 km | 87% | 57% |