South Mackay flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of South Mackay
(Mackay Regional, QLD) - 7.21 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 12 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
7.21 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to South Mackay's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Amber hatching is the published aircraft noise (ANEF) contour.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
How common is mapped flood risk across South Mackay properties?
Overlay percentages say how much land is constrained; these figures say how many properties are actually touched in a suburb-wide analysis of 3,610 South Mackay properties. No individual property result is identified on this page.
Lot-level readout
Flood-risk rating across all 3,610 properties
From LayeredGeo's lot-risk engine: council flood overlays, historical flooding and terrain, resolved to each individual lot in South Mackay.
Aircraft noise and flight paths over South Mackay
Two different things, kept apart on purpose. The ANEF contour is the planning instrument - a forecast published per airport that planning schemes use to control noise-sensitive development. Observed aircraft traffic is a separate question from the contour.
Inside an aircraft noise contour
48% 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
- Mackay Regional Council ANEF
South Mackay at a glance
Schools in and near South Mackay
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
1 school providing primary years and 3 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 Mackay is zoned
Selling in South Mackay? 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 7.21 km², South Mackay is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 86% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 3% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Airport Land. The terrain is largely flat, and the median lot measures about 759 m² across 3,504 parcels.
Who lives in South Mackay
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the South Mackay 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 912, and decile 3 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of South Mackay's 6,918 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of South Mackay, the wider ABS statistical area containing South Mackay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than South Mackay itself.
7,194 in 2001 to 7,251 in 2025, up 1%.
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 Mackay 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 |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
| School availability | Available | Queensland Government |
Profile last materially updated 12 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 South Mackay 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.
The Terrain Report shows the fall of the block - contours, cross sections and a 3D model of the lot (+$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 South Mackay lot.
See what's in the $9 report →South Mackay planning - frequently asked
Is South Mackay flood-prone?
About 86% of South Mackay falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 34%. Across the suburb, 91% of the 3,610 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 3 rated high risk or historically affected.
Is South Mackay bushfire-prone?
Around 3% of South Mackay is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Mackay Regional average of 26%.
Is South Mackay affected by aircraft noise?
About 48% of South Mackay sits inside a published aircraft noise contour, and the highest contour present is ANEF 35 - 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.
What is the zoning in South Mackay?
The dominant planning zone in South Mackay is Airport Land, though the suburb also includes Low density residential and Sport and recreation.
Does South Mackay have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within South Mackay.
Is South Mackay hilly or flat?
South Mackay is largely flat: the median ground slope is about 1%. Ground level runs from roughly 4 m to 9 m AHD across the suburb.
What is the typical lot size in South Mackay?
Across 3,504 surveyed parcels in South Mackay, the median lot size is about 759 m². There are also 136 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does South Mackay have a train station?
There is no train station inside South Mackay itself. The suburb is served by 26 bus stops.
What is the population of South Mackay?
At the 2021 Census South Mackay had 6,918 usual residents, with a median age of 39 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider South Mackay statistical area, which contains South Mackay, went from 7,194 people in 2001 to 7,251 in 2025, up 1%.
Is South Mackay an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), South Mackay scores 912 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 3 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in South Mackay?
Median household income in South Mackay was $1,477 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,937 for the typical suburb in Mackay Regional. Median rent was $290 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,500 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| West Mackay | 2.2 km | 74% | 2% |
| East Mackay | 2.4 km | 92% | 1% |
| Mackay | 2.6 km | 98% | 0% |
| Paget | 3.0 km | 81% | 6% |
| Cremorne | 3.8 km | 100% | 0% |
| Ooralea | 4.0 km | 60% | 0% |
| Foulden | 4.5 km | 100% | 0% |
| Racecourse | 4.7 km | 68% | 2% |
| North Mackay | 4.9 km | 81% | <1% |
| Mount Pleasant | 5.3 km | 30% | 2% |