Surprise Bay flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Surprise Bay
(King Island, TAS) - 37.65 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 10 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
37.65 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Surprise Bay's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Surprise Bay at a glance
How Surprise Bay is zoned
Buying in Surprise 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 37.65 km², Surprise Bay is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 15% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 99% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Particular Purpose. The median lot measures about 409,593 m² across 40 parcels.
Who lives in Surprise Bay
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Surprise 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 948, and decile 6 within Tasmania. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of King Island, the wider ABS statistical area containing Surprise Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Surprise Bay itself.
1,741 in 2001 to 1,647 in 2025, down 5%.
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.
Surprise 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 | Not watched | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 10 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 Surprise 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.
See what's in the $9 report →Surprise Bay planning - frequently asked
Is Surprise Bay flood-prone?
About 15% of Surprise Bay falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 5%.
Is Surprise Bay bushfire-prone?
Around 99% of Surprise Bay is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a King Island average of 99%.
What is the zoning in Surprise Bay?
The dominant planning zone in Surprise Bay is Particular Purpose, though the suburb also includes Environmental Management and Landscape Conservation.
Does Surprise Bay have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Surprise Bay.
What is the typical lot size in Surprise Bay?
Across 40 surveyed parcels in Surprise Bay, the median lot size is about 409,593 m².
Is Surprise Bay an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Surprise Bay scores 948 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 6 within Tasmania (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pearshape | 8.4 km | 2% | 100% |
| Lymwood | 12.0 km | <1% | 100% |
| Grassy | 15.5 km | 9% | 98% |
| Nugara | 18.4 km | 1% | 100% |
| Yarra Creek | 20.1 km | 3% | 100% |
| Currie | 22.6 km | 4% | 95% |
| Pegarah | 24.4 km | <1% | 100% |
| Loorana | 28.0 km | 2% | 100% |
| Naracoopa | 28.1 km | 16% | 98% |
| Sea Elephant | 35.3 km | 10% | 100% |