Adamstown Heights flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Adamstown Heights (Newcastle, NSW) - 2.45 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.

Planning schematicAdamstown Heights

Constraint readout

2.45 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.

Flood overlay 8%

below council avg (39%) · #42 of 51 mapped council suburbs

Modelled flood depth held over parts of Adamstown Heights

Bushfire-prone 52%

2.1× council avg (24%) · #12 of 51 mapped council suburbs

Environmental6%

below council avg (14%) · #22 of 51 in council

Heritage sites 4 Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 52% Mostly Low Density Residential Flood 42nd most affected of 51 → Bushfire 12th most affected of 51 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Adamstown Heights'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 Adamstown Heights

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 2 Oct 2026

Under observed aircraft

84%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

52%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

1,000 ft

averaging 4,000 ft

Busiest square

~1 a day

1 a day below 3,000 ft · ±32% · area average
typical observed square 1 a day

Night movements: observed, lowest 4,000 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.

Adamstown Heights at a glance

Parcels 2,069 Median lot 628 m² Mapped easements 6 Bus stops 115

How Adamstown Heights is zoned

Low Density Residential 73%

Public Recreation 12%

Medium Density Residential 5%

Environmental Management 3%

Infrastructure 3%

Environmental Conservation 3%

Buying in Adamstown Heights? The zoning, flood and bushfire lines on the section 10.7 certificate attached to the contract are mapped controls - see our s10.7 certificate guide.

Across its 2.45 km², Adamstown Heights is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 8% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 52% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 4 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 628 m² across 2,069 parcels.

Who lives in Adamstown Heights

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

Population

5,621

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median household income

$2,325

per week, Newcastle suburb typical $1,818

Median rent

$475

per week, Newcastle suburb typical $400

Median mortgage

$2,201

per month

Household size

2.8

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 10

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1084, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 10

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Adamstown Heights's 5,621 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 6.4%

5-14 15.7%

15-19 6.2%

20-24 4.7%

25-34 10.8%

35-44 14.8%

45-54 13.6%

55-64 9.7%

65-74 8.5%

75-84 7.2%

85+ 2.5%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

14,374 in 2001 to 17,554 in 2025, up 22%.

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.

Adamstown Heights 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	NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Bushfire-prone mapping	Mapped	NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Zoning	Mapped	NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Heritage and environment	Mapped where published	NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)	Not held	NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, 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 Adamstown Heights 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 52% of Adamstown Heights. 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 over parts of Adamstown Heights. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$9 with the planning report.

Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Adamstown Heights lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Adamstown Heights planning - frequently asked

Is Adamstown Heights flood-prone?

About 8% of Adamstown Heights falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 39%. Published flood models are held over parts of Adamstown Heights; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.

Is Adamstown Heights bushfire-prone?

Around 52% of Adamstown Heights is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Newcastle average of 24%.

Is Adamstown Heights under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 52% of Adamstown Heights, and over about 84% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 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 Adamstown Heights?

The dominant planning zone in Adamstown Heights is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Public Recreation and Medium Density Residential.

Does Adamstown Heights have heritage-listed places?

Adamstown Heights has 4 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Adamstown Heights?

Across 2,069 surveyed parcels in Adamstown Heights, the median lot size is about 628 m². There are also 6 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Adamstown Heights have a train station?

There is no train station inside Adamstown Heights itself. The suburb is served by 115 bus stops.

What is the population of Adamstown Heights?

At the 2021 Census Adamstown Heights had 5,621 usual residents, with a median age of 39 and an average household size of 2.8 people. The wider Adamstown - Kotara statistical area, which contains Adamstown Heights, went from 14,374 people in 2001 to 17,554 in 2025, up 22%.

Is Adamstown Heights an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Adamstown Heights scores 1084 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Adamstown Heights?

Median household income in Adamstown Heights was $2,325 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,818 for the typical suburb in Newcastle. Median rent was $475 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,201 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Highfields Lake Macquarie	0.9 km	Not mapped	64%
Kahibah Lake Macquarie	1.5 km	Not mapped	32%
Kotara	1.5 km	22%	34%
Adamstown	1.8 km	28%	16%
Kotara South Lake Macquarie	1.8 km	3%	27%
Merewether Heights	2.2 km	2%	43%
New Lambton	2.3 km	36%	34%
Charlestown Lake Macquarie	2.7 km	<1%	47%
Whitebridge Lake Macquarie	2.8 km	<1%	91%
New Lambton Heights	2.9 km	<1%	76%

See all Newcastle suburb profiles →