Areas / Bass Coast / Pioneer Bay

Pioneer Bay flood map & planning overlays

Pioneer Bay matches Coronet Bay's 534 m² lots, joint 2nd-smallest.

A planning-constraint profile of Pioneer Bay (Bass Coast, VIC) - 0.22 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 24 October 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Pioneer 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 Pioneer Bay

The ANEF contour is a published planning forecast and observed overflight is what a sampled tracking feed recorded - neither describes any individual property.

Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 24 Oct 2026

Under observed aircraft
100%
of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft
Below 3,000 ft
62%
of the suburb's area
Lowest measured
500 ft
averaging 3,000 ft
Busiest square
~0 a day
0 a day below 3,000 ft · ±27% · area average
typical observed square 0 a day

Night movements: not established - night is sampled as often as day, but too few night flights have been seen here to conclude either way.

How this is measured

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.

Pioneer Bay at a glance

Parcels 229 Median lot 534 m² Mapped easements 10 Bus stops 1

How Pioneer Bay is zoned

General Residential Zone (GRZ1) 81%
Public Conservation and Resource Zone (PCRZ) 9%
Transport Zone (TRZ2) 7%
Public Park and Recreation Zone (PPRZ) 3%
Farming Zone (FZ) 0%

Selling in Pioneer Bay? The zoning and planning overlays on this page are the controls a Section 32 vendor statement discloses.

Across its 0.22 km², Pioneer Bay is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 28% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is General Residential Zone (GRZ1). The median lot measures about 534 m² across 229 parcels.

Who lives in Pioneer Bay

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Pioneer Bay suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population
365
usual residents, 2021
Median age
41
years
Median household income
$961
per week, Bass Coast suburb typical $1,286
Median rent
$280
per week, Bass Coast suburb typical $300
Median mortgage
$1,170
per month
Household size
2.0
people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 1
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 855, and decile 1 within Victoria. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 1
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Pioneer Bay's 365 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 7.6%
5-14 10.7%
15-19 2.8%
20-24 4.5%
25-34 13.5%
35-44 13.8%
45-54 10.7%
55-64 14.1%
65-74 12.1%
75-84 7.6%
85+ 2.5%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Wonthaggi - Inverloch, the wider ABS statistical area containing Pioneer Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Pioneer Bay itself.

17,647 in 2001 to 29,333 in 2025, up 66%.

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.

Pioneer Bay data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services
ZoningMappedVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)

Profile last materially updated 24 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 Pioneer 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 →

Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 62% of Pioneer Bay. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.

Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and the indicative soil reactivity range to expect for a Pioneer Bay lot.

Pioneer Bay planning - frequently asked

Is Pioneer Bay flood-prone?

About 28% of Pioneer Bay falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 15%.

Is Pioneer Bay bushfire-prone?

Around 100% of Pioneer Bay is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Bass Coast average of 93%.

Is Pioneer Bay under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 62% of Pioneer Bay, and over about 100% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 24 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 3,000 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 Pioneer Bay?

The dominant planning zone in Pioneer Bay is General Residential Zone (GRZ1), though the suburb also includes Public Conservation and Resource Zone (PCRZ) and Transport Zone (TRZ2).

Does Pioneer Bay have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within Pioneer Bay.

What is the typical lot size in Pioneer Bay?

Across 229 surveyed parcels in Pioneer Bay, the median lot size is about 534 m². There are also 10 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Pioneer Bay have a train station?

There is no train station inside Pioneer Bay itself. The suburb is served by 1 bus stop.

What is the population of Pioneer Bay?

At the 2021 Census Pioneer Bay had 365 usual residents, with a median age of 41 and an average household size of 2.0 people. The wider Wonthaggi - Inverloch statistical area, which contains Pioneer Bay, went from 17,647 people in 2001 to 29,333 in 2025, up 66%.

Is Pioneer Bay an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Pioneer Bay scores 855 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within Victoria (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Pioneer Bay?

Median household income in Pioneer Bay was $961 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,286 for the typical suburb in Bass Coast. Median rent was $280 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,170 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
The Gurdies 1.9 km 3% 100%
Grantville 3.7 km 14% 100%
Jam Jerrup 5.0 km 53% 100%
Adams Estate 5.1 km Not mapped 100%
Queensferry 6.0 km 100% 100%
Woodleigh 6.3 km 9% 100%
Tenby Point 7.5 km <1% 100%
Corinella 8.0 km 16% 93%
Glen Forbes 8.2 km 2% 100%
Kernot 8.6 km 4% 100%

See all Bass Coast suburb profiles →