Avondale flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Avondale (Wollongong, NSW) - 18.07 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Avondale'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 Avondale

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.

Avondale at a glance

Parcels 575 Median lot 661 m² Mapped easements 10 Bus stops 28

How Avondale is zoned

Rural Landscape 34%
Environmental Conservation 27%
Environmental Management 14%
Low Density Residential 9%
Environmental Living 7%
Private Recreation 4%

Buying in Avondale? 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 18.07 km², Avondale is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 6% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 97% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 6 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 661 m² across 575 parcels.

Who lives in Avondale

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

Population
1,695
usual residents, 2021
Median age
40
years
Median household income
$1,524
per week, Wollongong suburb typical $1,912
Median rent
$300
per week, Wollongong suburb typical $400
Median mortgage
$1,903
per month
Household size
2.4
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 3
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 933, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 3
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Avondale's 1,695 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 7.0%
5-14 11.1%
15-19 4.6%
20-24 5.7%
25-34 15.1%
35-44 11.1%
45-54 11.2%
55-64 16.2%
65-74 11.3%
75-84 5.8%
85+ 0.9%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

21,968 in 2001 to 24,842 in 2025, up 13%.

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.

Avondale data sources and coverage

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

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
ZoningMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian 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 Avondale 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 22% of Avondale. 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 Avondale lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Avondale planning - frequently asked

Is Avondale flood-prone?

About 6% of Avondale falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 12%.

Is Avondale bushfire-prone?

Around 97% of Avondale is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%.

Is Avondale under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 22% of Avondale, and over about 70% 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 2,000 ft, with an average of 4,500 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 Avondale?

The dominant planning zone in Avondale is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Environmental Management.

Does Avondale have heritage-listed places?

Avondale has 6 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Avondale?

Across 575 surveyed parcels in Avondale, the median lot size is about 661 m². There are also 10 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Avondale have a train station?

There is no train station inside Avondale itself. The suburb is served by 28 bus stops.

What is the population of Avondale?

At the 2021 Census Avondale had 1,695 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Dapto - Avondale statistical area, which contains Avondale, went from 21,968 people in 2001 to 24,842 in 2025, up 13%.

Is Avondale an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Avondale scores 933 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Avondale?

Median household income in Avondale was $1,524 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,912 for the typical suburb in Wollongong. Median rent was $300 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,903 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Cleveland 2.9 km 53% 100%
Huntley 3.0 km 7% 94%
Marshall Mount 3.4 km 0% 100%
Horsley 4.4 km 36% 45%
Yallah 4.7 km 0% 74%
Calderwood
Shellharbour
4.8 km 0% 87%
Dapto 4.9 km 11% 29%
Haywards Bay 5.2 km 0% 64%
Wongawilli 5.5 km 11% 79%
Koonawarra 5.8 km 0% 38%

See all Wollongong suburb profiles →