Forest flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Forest
(Circular Head, TAS) - 44.61 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
44.61 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Forest'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 Forest
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.
Forest at a glance
How Forest is zoned
Buying in Forest? The zone and code overlays on this page are the Tasmanian Planning Scheme controls a section 337 certificate reports for a title.
Across its 44.61 km², Forest is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 9% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Agriculture. The median lot measures about 15,908 m² across 367 parcels.
Who lives in Forest
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Forest 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 914, and decile 4 within Tasmania. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Forest's 464 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of North West, the wider ABS statistical area containing Forest. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Forest itself.
4,238 in 2001 to 4,400 in 2025, up 4%.
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.
Forest 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 Forest 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.
Published flood models are held here: a Flood Model Report is available for about 230 Forest addresses (+$9 with the planning report).
See what's in the $9 report →Forest planning - frequently asked
Is Forest flood-prone?
About 9% of Forest falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 14%. Modelled flood depth, velocity and flood level are held for about 230 Forest addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.
Is Forest bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Forest is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Circular Head average of 99%.
Is Forest under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 2% of Forest in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 6,000 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 Forest?
The dominant planning zone in Forest is Agriculture, though the suburb also includes Rural Living and Rural.
Does Forest have heritage-listed places?
Forest has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Forest?
Across 367 surveyed parcels in Forest, the median lot size is about 15,908 m².
What is the population of Forest?
At the 2021 Census Forest had 464 usual residents, with a median age of 38 and an average household size of 2.6 people. The wider North West statistical area, which contains Forest, went from 4,238 people in 2001 to 4,400 in 2025, up 4%.
Is Forest an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Forest scores 914 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 4 within Tasmania (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Forest?
Median household income in Forest was $1,321 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,338 for the typical suburb in Circular Head. Median rent was $225 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,060 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wiltshire | 3.7 km | 42% | 100% |
| South Forest | 6.1 km | 8% | 100% |
| Black River | 7.9 km | 14% | 100% |
| Smithton | 8.5 km | 26% | 97% |
| Stanley | 10.3 km | 24% | 95% |
| Mengha | 10.3 km | 6% | 100% |
| Cowrie Point | 10.6 km | 8% | 100% |
| Alcomie | 10.9 km | 5% | 100% |
| Irishtown | 11.3 km | 7% | 100% |
| Port Latta | 12.6 km | 17% | 94% |