Dolphin Sands flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Dolphin Sands
(Glamorgan-Spring Bay, TAS) - 21.77 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 19 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
21.77 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Dolphin Sands's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Dolphin Sands
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 to
Night movements: not established - night is sampled as often as day, but too few night flights have been seen here to conclude either way.
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.
Dolphin Sands at a glance
How Dolphin Sands is zoned
Buying in Dolphin Sands? The zone and code overlays on this page are the Tasmanian Planning Scheme controls a section 337 certificate reports for a title.
Across its 21.77 km², Dolphin Sands is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 44% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 82% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 20,239 m² across 394 parcels.
Who lives in Dolphin Sands
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Dolphin Sands 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 978, and decile 8 within Tasmania. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Dolphin Sands's 182 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Triabunna - Bicheno, the wider ABS statistical area containing Dolphin Sands. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Dolphin Sands itself.
3,987 in 2001 to 5,303 in 2025, up 33%.
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.
Dolphin Sands 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 19 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 Dolphin Sands 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.
Published flood models are held here: a Flood Model Report is available for about 320 Dolphin Sands addresses (+$9 with the planning report).
See what's in the $9 report →Dolphin Sands planning - frequently asked
Is Dolphin Sands flood-prone?
About 44% of Dolphin Sands falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 16%. Modelled flood depth, velocity and flood level are held for about 320 Dolphin Sands addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.
Is Dolphin Sands bushfire-prone?
Around 82% of Dolphin Sands is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Glamorgan-Spring Bay average of 96%.
Is Dolphin Sands under a flight path?
No aircraft were observed over Dolphin Sands in the period sampled (recent weeks to now). Sampling is intermittent, so that is a floor rather than proof that none fly over. 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 Dolphin Sands?
The dominant planning zone in Dolphin Sands is Rural, though the suburb also includes Particular Purpose and Environmental Management.
Does Dolphin Sands have heritage-listed places?
Dolphin Sands has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Dolphin Sands?
Across 394 surveyed parcels in Dolphin Sands, the median lot size is about 20,239 m².
What is the population of Dolphin Sands?
At the 2021 Census Dolphin Sands had 182 usual residents, with a median age of 64 and an average household size of 1.8 people. The wider Triabunna - Bicheno statistical area, which contains Dolphin Sands, went from 3,987 people in 2001 to 5,303 in 2025, up 33%.
Is Dolphin Sands an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Dolphin Sands scores 978 and sits in decile 5 of 10 nationally and decile 8 within Tasmania (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Dolphin Sands?
Median household income in Dolphin Sands was $822 a week at the 2021 Census, against $972 for the typical suburb in Glamorgan-Spring Bay. Median rent was $300 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,105 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coles Bay | 6.9 km | 26% | 86% |
| Swansea | 12.5 km | 15% | 99% |
| Friendly Beaches | 13.0 km | 23% | 93% |
| Apslawn | 14.5 km | 35% | 86% |
| Cranbrook | 15.9 km | 19% | 95% |
| Freycinet | 18.3 km | 13% | 100% |
| Rocky Hills | 18.9 km | 5% | 100% |
| Bicheno | 23.3 km | 20% | 99% |
| Lake Leake Northern Midlands |
26.6 km | 8% | 99% |
| Schouten Island | 27.3 km | 8% | 100% |