Bell Bay flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Bell Bay
(George Town, TAS) - 10.2 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
10.2 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Bell Bay'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 Bell Bay
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.
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 3 Oct 2026
Night movements: observed, lowest 8,000 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.
Bell Bay at a glance
How Bell Bay is zoned
Buying in Bell Bay? The zone and code overlays on this page are the Tasmanian Planning Scheme controls a section 337 certificate reports for a title.
Across its 10.2 km², Bell Bay is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 9% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 79% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is General Industrial. The median lot measures about 18,755 m² across 53 parcels.
Who lives in Bell Bay
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Bell Bay 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 921, and decile 4 within Tasmania. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of George Town, the wider ABS statistical area containing Bell Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Bell Bay itself.
6,642 in 2001 to 7,465 in 2025, up 12%.
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.
Bell Bay 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 Tasmanian Planning Scheme and the LIST (Land Tasmania) |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | the Tasmanian Planning Scheme and the LIST (Land Tasmania) |
| Zoning | Mapped | the Tasmanian Planning Scheme and the LIST (Land Tasmania) |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | the Tasmanian Planning Scheme and the LIST (Land Tasmania) |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | the Tasmanian Planning Scheme and the LIST (Land Tasmania), 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 Bell Bay 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.
Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 7% of Bell Bay. 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 30 Bell Bay addresses (+$9 with the planning report).
See what's in the $9 report →Bell Bay planning - frequently asked
Is Bell Bay flood-prone?
About 9% of Bell Bay falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 10%. Modelled flood depth, velocity and flood level are held for about 30 Bell Bay addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.
Is Bell Bay bushfire-prone?
Around 79% of Bell Bay is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a George Town average of 97%.
Is Bell Bay under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 7% of Bell Bay, and over about 28% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 3 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,500 ft, with an average of 6,500 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 Bell Bay?
The dominant planning zone in Bell Bay is General Industrial, though the suburb also includes Utilities and Open Space.
Does Bell Bay have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Bell Bay.
What is the typical lot size in Bell Bay?
Across 53 surveyed parcels in Bell Bay, the median lot size is about 18,755 m².
Is Bell Bay an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Bell Bay scores 921 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 4 within Tasmania (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Town | 4.3 km | 8% | 95% |
| Rowella West Tamar |
5.5 km | 15% | 100% |
| Clarence Point West Tamar |
6.3 km | 6% | 98% |
| Beauty Point West Tamar |
6.6 km | 7% | 90% |
| Kayena West Tamar |
7.3 km | 12% | 99% |
| Kelso West Tamar |
7.8 km | 28% | 99% |
| Long Reach | 8.2 km | 4% | 100% |
| Low Head | 8.2 km | 7% | 97% |
| Greens Beach West Tamar |
10.9 km | 10% | 98% |
| Lefroy | 11.0 km | 9% | 100% |