Penguin flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Penguin
(Central Coast, TAS) - 45.25 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
45.25 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Penguin'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 Penguin
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
typical observed square 0 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 2,500 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.
Penguin at a glance
How Penguin is zoned
Buying in Penguin? The zone and code overlays on this page are the Tasmanian Planning Scheme controls a section 337 certificate reports for a title.
Across its 45.25 km², Penguin is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 7% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 95% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 25 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Agriculture. The median lot measures about 880 m² across 2,249 parcels.
Who lives in Penguin
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Penguin 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 945, and decile 6 within Tasmania. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Penguin's 4,132 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Penguin - Sulphur Creek, the wider ABS statistical area containing Penguin. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Penguin itself.
4,877 in 2001 to 5,573 in 2025, up 14%.
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.
Penguin 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 Penguin 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 17% of Penguin. 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 2,000 Penguin addresses (+$9 with the planning report).
See what's in the $9 report →Penguin planning - frequently asked
Is Penguin flood-prone?
About 7% of Penguin 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 2,000 Penguin addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.
Is Penguin bushfire-prone?
Around 95% of Penguin is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Central Coast average of 96%.
Is Penguin under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 17% of Penguin, and over about 22% 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 500 ft, with an average of 2,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 0 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. 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 Penguin?
The dominant planning zone in Penguin is Agriculture, though the suburb also includes Rural and Environmental Management.
Does Penguin have heritage-listed places?
Penguin has 25 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Penguin?
Across 2,249 surveyed parcels in Penguin, the median lot size is about 880 m².
What is the population of Penguin?
At the 2021 Census Penguin had 4,132 usual residents, with a median age of 47 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Penguin - Sulphur Creek statistical area, which contains Penguin, went from 4,877 people in 2001 to 5,573 in 2025, up 14%.
Is Penguin an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Penguin scores 945 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 6 within Tasmania (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Penguin?
Median household income in Penguin was $1,301 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,374 for the typical suburb in Central Coast. Median rent was $260 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,300 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preservation Bay | 4.4 km | 14% | 82% |
| West Pine | 5.0 km | 6% | 100% |
| Sulphur Creek | 5.2 km | 9% | 92% |
| West Ulverstone | 5.9 km | 17% | 83% |
| Howth | 7.0 km | 6% | 98% |
| Cuprona | 7.7 km | 6% | 100% |
| North Motton | 8.1 km | 10% | 100% |
| Camena | 9.1 km | 9% | 100% |
| Heybridge | 9.2 km | 8% | 96% |
| Riana | 9.8 km | 5% | 100% |