Sandy Bay flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Sandy Bay
(Hobart, TAS) - 6.91 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
6.91 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Sandy Bay'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 Sandy Bay
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 3,000 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.
Sandy Bay at a glance
How Sandy Bay is zoned
Buying in Sandy Bay? The zone and code overlays on this page are the Tasmanian Planning Scheme controls a section 337 certificate reports for a title.
Across its 6.91 km², Sandy Bay is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 9% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 37% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 345 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is General Residential. The median lot measures about 511 m² across 6,988 parcels.
Who lives in Sandy Bay
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Sandy Bay 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 1083, and decile 10 within Tasmania. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Sandy Bay's 12,315 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Sandy Bay, the wider ABS statistical area containing Sandy Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Sandy Bay itself.
10,939 in 2001 to 12,587 in 2025, up 15%.
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.
Sandy Bay 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 Sandy Bay 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 38% of Sandy Bay. 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 5,700 Sandy Bay addresses (+$9 with the planning report).
See what's in the $9 report →Sandy Bay planning - frequently asked
Is Sandy Bay flood-prone?
About 9% of Sandy Bay 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 5,700 Sandy Bay addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.
Is Sandy Bay bushfire-prone?
Around 37% of Sandy Bay is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Hobart average of 52%.
Is Sandy Bay under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 38% of Sandy Bay, and over about 47% 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 1,000 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 Sandy Bay?
The dominant planning zone in Sandy Bay is General Residential, though the suburb also includes Environmental Management and Inner Residential.
Does Sandy Bay have heritage-listed places?
Sandy Bay has 345 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Sandy Bay?
Across 6,988 surveyed parcels in Sandy Bay, the median lot size is about 511 m².
What is the population of Sandy Bay?
At the 2021 Census Sandy Bay had 12,315 usual residents, with a median age of 39 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Sandy Bay statistical area, which contains Sandy Bay, went from 10,939 people in 2001 to 12,587 in 2025, up 15%.
Is Sandy Bay an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Sandy Bay scores 1083 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 Sandy Bay?
Median household income in Sandy Bay was $1,915 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,915 for the typical suburb in Hobart. Median rent was $418 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,167 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mount Nelson | 2.2 km | 3% | 95% |
| Battery Point | 2.5 km | 7% | 0% |
| Dynnyrne | 2.8 km | 6% | 72% |
| Tolmans Hill | 3.2 km | 4% | 98% |
| Hobart | 3.4 km | 25% | 0% |
| Taroona Kingborough |
3.9 km | 5% | 80% |
| Glebe | 4.3 km | 3% | 12% |
| South Hobart | 4.4 km | 7% | 87% |
| West Hobart | 4.5 km | 4% | 58% |
| Rosny Clarence |
4.5 km | 9% | 34% |