Emu Heights flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Emu Heights
(Burnie, TAS) - 0.47 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
0.47 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Emu 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
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Emu Heights
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: 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.
Emu Heights at a glance
How Emu Heights is zoned
Buying in Emu Heights? The zone and code overlays on this page are the Tasmanian Planning Scheme controls a section 337 certificate reports for a title.
Across its 0.47 km², Emu Heights is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 23% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 85% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Environmental Management. The median lot measures about 811 m² across 93 parcels.
Who lives in Emu Heights
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Emu 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 867, and decile 1 within Tasmania. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Emu Heights's 182 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Romaine - Havenview, the wider ABS statistical area containing Emu Heights. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Emu Heights itself.
3,369 in 2001 to 3,627 in 2025, up 8%.
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.
Emu 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 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 Emu 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.
Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 1% of Emu 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 90 Emu Heights addresses (+$9 with the planning report).
See what's in the $9 report →Emu Heights planning - frequently asked
Is Emu Heights flood-prone?
About 23% of Emu Heights 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 90 Emu Heights addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.
Is Emu Heights bushfire-prone?
Around 85% of Emu Heights is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Burnie average of 65%.
Is Emu Heights under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 1% of Emu Heights, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 3 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 2,000 ft, with an average of 2,000 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 Emu Heights?
The dominant planning zone in Emu Heights is Environmental Management, though the suburb also includes Light Industrial and General Residential.
Does Emu Heights have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Emu Heights.
What is the typical lot size in Emu Heights?
Across 93 surveyed parcels in Emu Heights, the median lot size is about 811 m².
What is the population of Emu Heights?
At the 2021 Census Emu Heights had 182 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.2 people. The wider Romaine - Havenview statistical area, which contains Emu Heights, went from 3,369 people in 2001 to 3,627 in 2025, up 8%.
Is Emu Heights an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Emu Heights scores 867 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within Tasmania (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Emu Heights?
Median household income in Emu Heights was $1,178 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,433 for the typical suburb in Burnie. Median rent was $256 a week and the median mortgage repayment $867 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wivenhoe | 0.8 km | 24% | 54% |
| Brooklyn | 1.1 km | 8% | 16% |
| South Burnie | 1.2 km | 21% | 32% |
| Havenview | 1.4 km | 7% | 93% |
| Upper Burnie | 1.8 km | 8% | 0% |
| Round Hill | 2.3 km | 6% | 93% |
| Acton | 2.4 km | 5% | 0% |
| Hillcrest | 2.5 km | 9% | 0% |
| Downlands | 2.6 km | 9% | 36% |
| Burnie | 2.7 km | 19% | 0% |