Areas / Brisbane City / South Brisbane

South Brisbane flood map & planning overlays

76 heritage-listed places, 5th-most in Brisbane City and 10th in Queensland. Old buildings, busy streets.

A planning-constraint profile of South Brisbane (Brisbane City, QLD) - 2.3 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 7 November 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to South Brisbane's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. 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 South Brisbane properties?

Counts of properties, not share of land, across 10,381 analysed South Brisbane properties; no individual property result is identified.

Has South Brisbane flooded? Flood history and overland flow

Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into South Brisbane: 5,163 of the 10,381 properties we analysed (49.7%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (Historic Flood 1974: 4,946, January 2011: 3,364, February 2022: 2,280). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.

Suburb-wide totals across 10,381 analysed properties; they do not identify or describe any individual property.

Recorded historical flood mapping

49.7%

5,163 analysed properties intersect at least one mapped historical event extent.

  • Historic Flood 1974: 4,946
  • January 2011: 3,364
  • February 2022: 2,280

Mapped overland flow

26.9%

2,797 analysed properties carry a mapped overland-flow category.

  • Low: 844
  • Medium: 894
  • High: 89
  • Affected: 970

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 South Brisbane

The ANEF contour is a published planning forecast and observed overflight is what a sampled tracking feed recorded - neither describes any individual property.

Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 7 Nov 2026

Under observed aircraft
100%
of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft
Below 3,000 ft
100%
of the suburb's area
Lowest measured
500 ft
averaging 1,500 ft
Busiest square
~10 a day
10 a day below 3,000 ft · ±17%
typical observed square 2 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.

South Brisbane at a glance

Parcels 10,139 Median lot 1,101 m² Mapped easements 341 Train South Bank station, South Brisbane station Bus stops 47 Ferry terminal 1 Schools in suburb 6 Landslide overlay <1%

Schools in and near South Brisbane

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

6

3 schools providing primary years and 5 providing secondary years. A combined school may be counted in both teaching levels.

Nearest school availability

Primary: inside the suburb

Secondary: inside the suburb

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 South Brisbane is zoned

Priority Development Area - Part 10 of Brisbane City Plan 2014 27%
Mixed use (Inner city) 18%
Principal centre (City centre) 10%
Education purposes 9%
Open space (Metropolitan) 8%
Major health care 6%

Selling in South Brisbane? 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 2.3 km², South Brisbane is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 62% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 76 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Priority Development Area - Part 10 of Brisbane City Plan 2014. The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 1,101 m² across 10,139 parcels.

Recent development applications in South Brisbane

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

107

Latest included submission: 5 November 2026.

Previous 12 months: 46 (133% higher in the latest period).

Common application types

  • Material change of use: 35
  • 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 South Brisbane

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the South Brisbane suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population
14,292
usual residents, 2021
Median age
29
years
Median household income
$1,818
per week, Brisbane City suburb typical $2,122
Median rent
$470
per week, Brisbane City suburb typical $410
Median mortgage
$1,950
per month
Household size
1.9
people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 10
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1086, and decile 10 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 6
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of South Brisbane's 14,292 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 2.5%
5-14 5.6%
15-19 7.9%
20-24 17.8%
25-34 29.6%
35-44 14.6%
45-54 9.8%
55-64 5.8%
65-74 3.9%
75-84 1.8%
85+ 0.6%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of South Brisbane, the wider ABS statistical area containing South Brisbane. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than South Brisbane itself.

2,936 in 2001 to 17,517 in 2025, up 497%.

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.

South Brisbane property market snapshot

Queensland Government publishes this as a SA2 market series for South Brisbane, the wider statistical area containing South Brisbane. It is not a valuation and is not specific to this suburb or any individual property.

Unit sales

$760,000

Median sale price from 559 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.

South Brisbane data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
ZoningMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)
School availabilityAvailableQueensland Government
Market statisticsAvailable at SA2 levelQueensland Government Statistician's Office (QGSO)
Development applicationsAvailable as suburb totalsBrisbane 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 South Brisbane 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 South Brisbane. 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 10,000 South Brisbane 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 South Brisbane lot.

South Brisbane planning - frequently asked

Is South Brisbane flood-prone?

About 62% of South Brisbane falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 31%. Across the suburb, 78% of the 10,381 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 35 rated high risk or historically affected. Modelled flood depth, velocity and flood level are held for about 10,000 South Brisbane addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.

Has South Brisbane flooded?

Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into South Brisbane: 5,163 of the 10,381 properties we analysed (49.7%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (Historic Flood 1974: 4,946, January 2011: 3,364, February 2022: 2,280). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.

Is South Brisbane bushfire-prone?

Bushfire mapping covers South Brisbane and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone (the Brisbane City average is 27%).

Is South Brisbane under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of South Brisbane, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 7 Nov 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 1,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 10 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 South Brisbane?

The dominant planning zone in South Brisbane is Priority Development Area - Part 10 of Brisbane City Plan 2014, though the suburb also includes Mixed use (Inner city) and Principal centre (City centre).

Does South Brisbane have heritage-listed places?

South Brisbane has 76 heritage-listed places on record.

Is South Brisbane hilly or flat?

South Brisbane is gently undulating: the median ground slope is about 7%, and 12% of measured points sit on grades of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 4 m to 31 m AHD across the suburb.

What is the typical lot size in South Brisbane?

Across 10,139 surveyed parcels in South Brisbane, the median lot size is about 1,101 m². There are also 341 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does South Brisbane have a train station?

Yes - South Brisbane has 2 train stations: South Bank station, South Brisbane station. It is also served by 47 bus stops and 1 ferry terminal.

What is the population of South Brisbane?

At the 2021 Census South Brisbane had 14,292 usual residents, with a median age of 29 and an average household size of 1.9 people. The wider South Brisbane statistical area, which contains South Brisbane, went from 2,936 people in 2001 to 17,517 in 2025, up 497%.

Is South Brisbane an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), South Brisbane scores 1086 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in South Brisbane?

Median household income in South Brisbane was $1,818 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,122 for the typical suburb in Brisbane City. Median rent was $470 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,950 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Highgate Hill 1.0 km 16% 0%
Brisbane City 1.1 km 52% 0%
West End 1.4 km 65% 0%
Kangaroo Point 1.8 km 46% 0%
Dutton Park 1.8 km 22% 0%
Milton 1.8 km 69% 0%
Petrie Terrace 1.9 km 6% 0%
Spring Hill 2.3 km 6% 0%
Woolloongabba 2.3 km 22% 0%
Auchenflower 2.5 km 38% 0%

See all Brisbane City suburb profiles →