Appin flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Appin
(Wollondilly, NSW) - 102.16 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
102.16 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Appin'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 Appin
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
typical observed square 2 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 3,000 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.
Appin at a glance
How Appin is zoned
Buying in Appin? 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 102.16 km², Appin is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 98% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 40 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 985 m² across 1,564 parcels.
Who lives in Appin
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Appin 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 1020, and decile 7 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Appin's 3,213 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Douglas Park - Appin, the wider ABS statistical area containing Appin. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Appin itself.
6,188 in 2001 to 13,313 in 2025, up 115%.
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.
Appin 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 Appin 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 89% of Appin. 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 an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Appin lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Appin planning - frequently asked
Is Appin flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Appin and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 0%).
Is Appin bushfire-prone?
Around 98% of Appin is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollondilly average of 93%.
Is Appin under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 89% of Appin, and over about 99% 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 500 ft, with an average of 3,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 13 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 Appin?
The dominant planning zone in Appin is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Rural Landscape.
Does Appin have heritage-listed places?
Appin has 40 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Appin?
Across 1,564 surveyed parcels in Appin, the median lot size is about 985 m². There are also 39 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Appin have a train station?
There is no train station inside Appin itself. The suburb is served by 34 bus stops.
What is the population of Appin?
At the 2021 Census Appin had 3,213 usual residents, with a median age of 33 and an average household size of 3.2 people. The wider Douglas Park - Appin statistical area, which contains Appin, went from 6,188 people in 2001 to 13,313 in 2025, up 115%.
Is Appin an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Appin scores 1020 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 7 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Appin?
Median household income in Appin was $2,423 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,250 for the typical suburb in Wollondilly. Median rent was $450 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,500 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wedderburn Campbelltown |
7.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Douglas Park | 9.4 km | 0% | 94% |
| Gilead Campbelltown |
9.6 km | 0% | 99% |
| Darkes Forest Wollongong |
10.8 km | 0% | 98% |
| Cataract Wollongong |
11.0 km | 0% | 98% |
| Menangle | 11.6 km | 0% | 97% |
| Rosemeadow Campbelltown |
11.8 km | 14% | 9% |
| St Helens Park Campbelltown |
11.9 km | 8% | 73% |
| Wilton | 12.0 km | 0% | 97% |
| Menangle Park Campbelltown |
13.1 km | 0% | 82% |