Dismal Swamp flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Dismal Swamp
(Southern Limestone Coast Council, SA) - 62.9 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
62.9 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Dismal Swamp'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
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Dismal Swamp
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 overflight is what a sampled aircraft-tracking feed actually recorded over the suburb - where aircraft flew, how low and how often.
Inside an aircraft noise contour
<1% 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.
Contours held
- SA Planning and Design Code aircraft noise
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 3 Oct 2026
Night movements: observed, lowest 6,000 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.
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.
Dismal Swamp at a glance
How Dismal Swamp is zoned
Selling in Dismal Swamp? The zone and overlays on this page are the Planning and Design Code controls a Form 1 vendor's statement has to disclose.
Across its 62.9 km², Dismal Swamp is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 410,735 m² across 106 parcels.
Who lives in Dismal Swamp
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Dismal Swamp 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 994, and decile 6 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Dismal Swamp's 63 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Grant, the wider ABS statistical area containing Dismal Swamp. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Dismal Swamp itself.
5,110 in 2001 to 6,505 in 2025, up 27%.
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.
Dismal Swamp 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 South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Zoning | Mapped | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Inside a held contour | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data, Defence |
| Observed flight paths | Observed | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 3 October 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 Dismal Swamp 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 report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Dismal Swamp lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Dismal Swamp planning - frequently asked
Is Dismal Swamp flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Dismal Swamp and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay.
Is Dismal Swamp bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Dismal Swamp is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Southern Limestone Coast Council average of 98%.
Is Dismal Swamp affected by aircraft noise?
About <1% of Dismal Swamp sits inside a published aircraft noise contour. 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.
Is Dismal Swamp under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 5% of Dismal Swamp in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 1,000 ft. 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 Dismal Swamp?
The dominant planning zone in Dismal Swamp is Rural, though the suburb also includes Conservation.
Does Dismal Swamp have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Dismal Swamp.
What is the typical lot size in Dismal Swamp?
Across 106 surveyed parcels in Dismal Swamp, the median lot size is about 410,735 m².
What is the population of Dismal Swamp?
At the 2021 Census Dismal Swamp had 63 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 3.2 people. The wider Grant statistical area, which contains Dismal Swamp, went from 5,110 people in 2001 to 6,505 in 2025, up 27%.
Is Dismal Swamp an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Dismal Swamp scores 994 and sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally and decile 6 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Dismal Swamp?
Median household income in Dismal Swamp was $1,916 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,833 for the typical suburb in Southern Limestone Coast Council. Median rent was $150 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,417 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tarpeena | 6.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Wepar | 7.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Wandilo | 8.0 km | 0% | 100% |
| Suttontown | 10.3 km | 0% | 96% |
| Glencoe Wattle Range Council |
11.6 km | 0% | 100% |
| Koorine Wattle Range Council |
12.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Mingbool | 13.1 km | 0% | 100% |
| Compton | 13.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Mil-Lel | 14.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Worrolong | 15.3 km | 0% | 98% |