Upper Esk flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Upper Esk
(Break O'Day, TAS) - 197.93 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
197.93 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Upper Esk's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Upper Esk
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.
Upper Esk at a glance
How Upper Esk is zoned
Buying in Upper Esk? The zone and code overlays on this page are the Tasmanian Planning Scheme controls a section 337 certificate reports for a title.
Across its 197.93 km², Upper Esk is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 5% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 82,860 m² across 159 parcels.
Who lives in Upper Esk
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Upper Esk 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 848, and decile 1 within Tasmania. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of St Helens - Scamander, the wider ABS statistical area containing Upper Esk. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Upper Esk itself.
5,830 in 2001 to 7,219 in 2025, up 24%.
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.
Upper Esk 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 Upper Esk 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.
Published flood models are held here: a Flood Model Report is available for about 20 Upper Esk addresses (+$9 with the planning report).
See what's in the $9 report →Upper Esk planning - frequently asked
Is Upper Esk flood-prone?
About 5% of Upper Esk falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 13%. Modelled flood depth, velocity and flood level are held for about 20 Upper Esk addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.
Is Upper Esk bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Upper Esk is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Break O'Day average of 99%.
Is Upper Esk under a flight path?
No aircraft were observed over Upper Esk in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 3 Oct 2026). Sampling is intermittent, so that is a floor rather than proof that none fly over. 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 Upper Esk?
The dominant planning zone in Upper Esk is Rural, though the suburb also includes Environmental Management and Utilities.
Does Upper Esk have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Upper Esk.
What is the typical lot size in Upper Esk?
Across 159 surveyed parcels in Upper Esk, the median lot size is about 82,860 m².
Is Upper Esk an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Upper Esk scores 848 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within Tasmania (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Upper Blessington Launceston |
12.5 km | 7% | 100% |
| Trenah Dorset |
13.6 km | 8% | 100% |
| Ben Lomond Northern Midlands |
14.8 km | 3% | 100% |
| Alberton Dorset |
16.0 km | 10% | 100% |
| Talawa Dorset |
17.0 km | 12% | 100% |
| Mangana | 18.5 km | 4% | 100% |
| Tayene Launceston |
19.6 km | 5% | 100% |
| Ringarooma Dorset |
20.7 km | 12% | 100% |
| Burns Creek Launceston |
20.8 km | 7% | 100% |
| Mathinna | 21.5 km | 9% | 100% |