Planning Maps / Areas / Noosa Shire / Sunshine Beach

Sunshine Beach flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Sunshine Beach (Noosa Shire, QLD) - 1.9 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Sunshine Beach's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. It shows where constraints fall; the interactive map shows them on your exact address.

Sunshine Beach at a glance

Parcels 2,009 Median lot 506 m² Mapped easements 161 Bus stops 15 Landslide overlay 34%

How Sunshine Beach is zoned

Low Density Residential 38%
Community Facilities 19%
Medium Density Residential 16%
Environmental Management and Conservation 14%
Recreation and Open Space 8%
High Density Residential 5%

Selling in Sunshine Beach? 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 1.9 km², Sunshine Beach is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 27% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 506 m² across 2,009 parcels. These figures are suburb-wide - the overlays that actually apply to a given lot can differ block to block, which is what a property-level check tells you.

Who lives in Sunshine Beach

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

Population
2,480
usual residents, 2021
Median age
49
years
Median household income
$1,735
per week, Noosa Shire suburb typical $1,602
Median rent
$495
per week, Noosa Shire suburb typical $440
Median mortgage
$2,167
per month
Household size
2.2
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 9
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1049, and decile 9 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 7
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Sunshine Beach's 2,480 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 3.7%
5-14 9.1%
15-19 5.3%
20-24 3.7%
25-34 10.3%
35-44 10.7%
45-54 15.6%
55-64 17.0%
65-74 16.1%
75-84 7.1%
85+ 1.5%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

6,393 in 2001 to 7,524 in 2025, up 18%.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Census of Population and Housing 2021 (General Community Profile) and SEIFA 2021, both published at the Suburbs and Localities level; Regional Population (estimated resident population) at Statistical Area Level 2. Used under CC BY 4.0. Census counts of small populations are randomly adjusted by the ABS to protect confidentiality, so figures for small suburbs are indicative.

Check a specific Sunshine Beach 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 →

Sunshine Beach planning - frequently asked

Where can I see a flood map of Sunshine Beach?

The schematic on this page is a Sunshine Beach flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Sunshine Beach address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.

Is Sunshine Beach flood-prone?

Flood mapping covers Sunshine Beach and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the Noosa Shire average is 33%). Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.

Is Sunshine Beach bushfire-prone?

Yes - around 27% of Sunshine Beach is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Noosa Shire average of 76%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.

What is the zoning in Sunshine Beach?

The dominant planning zone in Sunshine Beach is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Community Facilities and Medium Density Residential. Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.

Does Sunshine Beach have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within Sunshine Beach. Even so, it is worth confirming for an individual property before any works.

What is the typical lot size in Sunshine Beach?

Across 2,009 surveyed parcels in Sunshine Beach, the median lot size is about 506 m². There are also 161 registered easements mapped in the suburb - an easement can restrict where you can build, so always check the title and overlays for the specific lot.

Does Sunshine Beach have a train station?

There is no train station inside Sunshine Beach itself. The suburb is served by 15 bus stops.

What is the population of Sunshine Beach?

At the 2021 Census Sunshine Beach had 2,480 usual residents, with a median age of 49 and an average household size of 2.2 people. The wider Sunshine Beach statistical area, which contains Sunshine Beach, went from 6,393 people in 2001 to 7,524 in 2025, up 18%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Sunshine Beach alone.

Is Sunshine Beach an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Sunshine Beach scores 1049 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within Queensland - decile 1 being the most disadvantaged tenth of Australian suburbs and decile 10 the least. The national average score is 1000. SEIFA summarises income, education, occupation and housing across the whole suburb, so it describes the area, not any particular household in it.

What is the median household income in Sunshine Beach?

Median household income in Sunshine Beach was $1,735 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,602 for the typical suburb in Noosa Shire. Median rent was $495 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,167 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.

Do I need a planning report for a Sunshine Beach property?

A Sunshine Beach planning report pulls every overlay - zoning, flood, bushfire, heritage and environmental - that touches a single lot, on live council and state data. The interactive map preview is free; a full PDF report is $9.

Other suburbs in Noosa Shire

See all Noosa Shire suburb profiles →