Fern Tree flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Fern Tree
(Hobart, TAS) - 8.0 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
8.0 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Fern Tree'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 Fern Tree
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 26 Sep 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.
Fern Tree at a glance
How Fern Tree is zoned
Buying in Fern Tree? The zone and code overlays on this page are the Tasmanian Planning Scheme controls a section 337 certificate reports for a title.
Across its 8.0 km², Fern Tree is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 4% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 11 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Landscape Conservation. The median lot measures about 2,539 m² across 448 parcels.
Who lives in Fern Tree
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Fern Tree 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 1089, and decile 10 within Tasmania. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Fern Tree's 763 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of South Hobart - Fern Tree, the wider ABS statistical area containing Fern Tree. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Fern Tree itself.
5,614 in 2001 to 6,752 in 2025, up 20%.
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.
Fern Tree 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 26 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 Fern Tree 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 6% of Fern Tree. 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 340 Fern Tree addresses (+$9 with the planning report).
See what's in the $9 report →Fern Tree planning - frequently asked
Is Fern Tree flood-prone?
About 4% of Fern Tree falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 7%. Modelled flood depth, velocity and flood level are held for about 340 Fern Tree addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.
Is Fern Tree bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Fern Tree is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Hobart average of 52%.
Is Fern Tree under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 6% of Fern Tree, and over about 9% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 26 Sep 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 2,000 ft, with an average of 4,000 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 Fern Tree?
The dominant planning zone in Fern Tree is Landscape Conservation, though the suburb also includes Rural Living and Environmental Management.
Does Fern Tree have heritage-listed places?
Fern Tree has 11 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Fern Tree?
Across 448 surveyed parcels in Fern Tree, the median lot size is about 2,539 m².
What is the population of Fern Tree?
At the 2021 Census Fern Tree had 763 usual residents, with a median age of 45 and an average household size of 2.6 people. The wider South Hobart - Fern Tree statistical area, which contains Fern Tree, went from 5,614 people in 2001 to 6,752 in 2025, up 20%.
Is Fern Tree an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Fern Tree scores 1089 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within Tasmania (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Fern Tree?
Median household income in Fern Tree was $1,990 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,915 for the typical suburb in Hobart. Median rent was $450 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,570 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neika Kingborough |
2.2 km | 5% | 100% |
| Ridgeway | 2.4 km | 5% | 100% |
| Kingston Kingborough |
3.9 km | 6% | 86% |
| Tolmans Hill | 4.1 km | 4% | 98% |
| South Hobart | 4.7 km | 7% | 87% |
| Mount Nelson | 5.0 km | 3% | 95% |
| Dynnyrne | 5.2 km | 6% | 72% |
| Leslie Vale Kingborough |
5.6 km | 5% | 100% |
| West Hobart | 6.5 km | 4% | 58% |
| Taroona Kingborough |
6.6 km | 5% | 80% |