Wavell Heights flood map & planning overlays
84 bus stops, joint 5th-most in Brisbane City. The northside, well connected.
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A planning-constraint profile of Wavell Heights
(Brisbane City, QLD) - 4.06 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is moderately constrained.
Profile updated 7 November 2026.
Constraint readout
4.06 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Wavell Heights'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 Wavell Heights properties?
Counts of properties, not share of land, across 4,927 analysed Wavell Heights properties; no individual property result is identified.
Lot-level readout
Flood-risk rating across all 4,927 properties
From LayeredGeo's lot-risk engine: council flood overlays, historical flooding and terrain, resolved to each individual lot in Wavell Heights.
Has Wavell Heights flooded? Flood history and overland flow
Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Wavell Heights: 113 of the 4,927 properties we analysed (2.3%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (February 2022: 113). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.
Suburb-wide totals across 4,927 analysed properties; they do not identify or describe any individual property.
Recorded historical flood mapping
113 analysed properties intersect at least one mapped historical event extent.
- February 2022: 113
Mapped overland flow
772 analysed properties carry a mapped overland-flow category.
- Low: 185
- Medium: 412
- High: 31
- Affected: 144
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 Wavell Heights
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
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.
Wavell Heights at a glance
Schools in and near Wavell Heights
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
2 schools providing primary years and 2 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 Wavell Heights is zoned
Selling in Wavell Heights? 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 4.06 km², Wavell Heights is moderately constrained by planning overlays. About 19% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 11 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low density residential. The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 604 m² across 4,495 parcels.
Recent development applications in Wavell Heights
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: 1 October 2026.
Previous 12 months: 39 (18% lower in the latest period).
Common application types
- Reconfiguring a lot: 8
- Building work: 16
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 Wavell Heights
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Wavell Heights 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 1103, and decile 10 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Wavell Heights's 10,336 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Wavell Heights, the wider ABS statistical area containing Wavell Heights. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Wavell Heights itself.
8,723 in 2001 to 11,227 in 2025, up 29%.
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.
Wavell Heights property market snapshot
Queensland Government publishes this as a SA2 market series for Wavell Heights, the wider statistical area containing Wavell Heights. It is not a valuation and is not specific to this suburb or any individual property.
House sales
Median sale price from 222 sales over 12 months to March 2026.
Unit sales
Median sale price from 16 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.
Wavell Heights 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 |
| 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 Wavell Heights 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 87% of Wavell Heights. 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 4,900 Wavell Heights 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 Wavell Heights lot.
Wavell Heights planning - frequently asked
Is Wavell Heights flood-prone?
About 19% of Wavell Heights falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 31%. Across the suburb, 7% of the 4,927 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 89 rated high risk or historically affected. Modelled flood depth, velocity and flood level are held for about 4,900 Wavell Heights addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.
Has Wavell Heights flooded?
Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Wavell Heights: 113 of the 4,927 properties we analysed (2.3%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (February 2022: 113). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.
Is Wavell Heights bushfire-prone?
Bushfire mapping covers Wavell Heights and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone (the Brisbane City average is 27%).
Is Wavell Heights under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 87% of Wavell Heights, and over about 100% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 7 Nov 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 3,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 5 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 Wavell Heights?
The dominant planning zone in Wavell Heights is Low density residential, though the suburb also includes Sport and recreation (Metropolitan) and Character residential (Character).
Does Wavell Heights have heritage-listed places?
Wavell Heights has 11 heritage-listed places on record.
Is Wavell Heights hilly or flat?
Wavell Heights is gently undulating: the median ground slope is about 7%. Ground level runs from roughly 10 m to 44 m AHD across the suburb.
What is the typical lot size in Wavell Heights?
Across 4,495 surveyed parcels in Wavell Heights, the median lot size is about 604 m². There are also 273 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Wavell Heights have a train station?
There is no train station inside Wavell Heights itself. The suburb is served by 84 bus stops.
What is the population of Wavell Heights?
At the 2021 Census Wavell Heights had 10,336 usual residents, with a median age of 37 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Wavell Heights statistical area, which contains Wavell Heights, went from 8,723 people in 2001 to 11,227 in 2025, up 29%.
Is Wavell Heights an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Wavell Heights scores 1103 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 Wavell Heights?
Median household income in Wavell Heights was $2,615 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,122 for the typical suburb in Brisbane City. Median rent was $421 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,450 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chermside | 1.7 km | 17% | 0% |
| Kalinga | 1.7 km | 35% | 0% |
| Nundah | 1.8 km | 28% | 0% |
| Kedron | 2.0 km | 14% | 0% |
| Geebung | 2.4 km | 32% | 0% |
| Northgate | 2.4 km | 33% | 0% |
| Virginia | 2.5 km | 59% | 8% |
| Clayfield | 2.9 km | 14% | 0% |
| Wooloowin | 2.9 km | 10% | 0% |
| Lutwyche | 3.2 km | 16% | 0% |