Southbank flood map & planning overlays
Southbank houses 22,631 people and is 61.8% flood-mapped.
A planning-constraint profile of Southbank
(Melbourne, VIC) - 1.56 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 24 October 2026.
Free map preview, then PDF reports from $9 - about the price of an iced latte on a public holiday.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
1.56 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Southbank'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 Southbank
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 24 Oct 2026
typical observed square 3 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 1,000 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.
Southbank at a glance
How Southbank is zoned
Selling in Southbank? The zoning and planning overlays on this page are the controls a Section 32 vendor statement discloses.
Across its 1.56 km², Southbank is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 62% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 94 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Capital City Zone (CCZ3). The median lot measures about 2,334 m² across 31,320 parcels.
Who lives in Southbank
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Southbank 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 1106, and decile 10 within Victoria. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Southbank's 22,631 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Southbank - East, the wider ABS statistical area containing Southbank. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Southbank itself.
2,828 in 2001 to 19,552 in 2025, up 591%.
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.
Southbank 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 | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services |
| Zoning | Mapped | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services, 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 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 Southbank 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 100% of Southbank. 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 Southbank lot.
Southbank planning - frequently asked
Is Southbank flood-prone?
About 62% of Southbank falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 22%.
Is Southbank bushfire-prone?
Bushfire mapping covers Southbank and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone.
Is Southbank under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Southbank, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 24 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 2,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 28 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 Southbank?
The dominant planning zone in Southbank is Capital City Zone (CCZ3), though the suburb also includes Transport Zone (TRZ2) and Capital City Zone (CCZ7).
Does Southbank have heritage-listed places?
Southbank has 94 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Southbank?
Across 31,320 surveyed parcels in Southbank, the median lot size is about 2,334 m². There are also 501 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Southbank have a train station?
There is no train station inside Southbank itself. The suburb is served by 11 bus stops and 25 tram stops.
What is the population of Southbank?
At the 2021 Census Southbank had 22,631 usual residents, with a median age of 31 and an average household size of 1.8 people. The wider Southbank - East statistical area, which contains Southbank, went from 2,828 people in 2001 to 19,552 in 2025, up 591%.
Is Southbank an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Southbank scores 1106 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within Victoria (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Southbank?
Median household income in Southbank was $1,926 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,926 for the typical suburb in Melbourne. Median rent was $411 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,900 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Wharf | 1.0 km | 32% | 0% |
| South Melbourne Port Phillip |
1.0 km | 14% | 0% |
| Melbourne | 1.5 km | 18% | 0% |
| Docklands | 1.9 km | 48% | 0% |
| East Melbourne | 2.0 km | <1% | 0% |
| Albert Park Port Phillip |
2.5 km | 8% | 0% |
| Cremorne Yarra |
2.6 km | 16% | 0% |
| Middle Park Port Phillip |
2.8 km | 15% | 0% |
| South Yarra Stonnington |
2.8 km | 14% | 0% |
| Carlton | 2.9 km | 5% | 0% |