Berkeley flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Berkeley
(Wollongong, NSW) - 7.21 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
7.21 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Berkeley'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 Berkeley
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 25 Sep 2026
typical observed square 1 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.
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.
Berkeley at a glance
How Berkeley is zoned
Buying in Berkeley? 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 7.21 km², Berkeley is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 29% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 42% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 616 m² across 3,034 parcels.
Who lives in Berkeley
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Berkeley 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 877, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Berkeley's 7,798 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Berkeley - Lake Heights - Cringila, the wider ABS statistical area containing Berkeley. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Berkeley itself.
13,786 in 2001 to 14,288 in 2025, up 4%.
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.
Berkeley 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 26 September 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 Berkeley 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 26% of Berkeley. 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 Berkeley lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Berkeley planning - frequently asked
Is Berkeley flood-prone?
About 29% of Berkeley falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 12%.
Is Berkeley bushfire-prone?
Around 42% of Berkeley is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%.
Is Berkeley under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 26% of Berkeley, and over about 78% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 25 Sep 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 2,000 ft, with an average of 3,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 2 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 Berkeley?
The dominant planning zone in Berkeley is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Environmental Management and Public Recreation.
Does Berkeley have heritage-listed places?
Berkeley has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Berkeley?
Across 3,034 surveyed parcels in Berkeley, the median lot size is about 616 m². There are also 5 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Berkeley have a train station?
There is no train station inside Berkeley itself. The suburb is served by 112 bus stops.
What is the population of Berkeley?
At the 2021 Census Berkeley had 7,798 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Berkeley - Lake Heights - Cringila statistical area, which contains Berkeley, went from 13,786 people in 2001 to 14,288 in 2025, up 4%.
Is Berkeley an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Berkeley scores 877 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Berkeley?
Median household income in Berkeley was $1,217 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,912 for the typical suburb in Wollongong. Median rent was $290 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,733 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lake Heights | 2.2 km | 0% | 2% |
| Cringila | 2.5 km | 0% | 59% |
| Unanderra | 2.6 km | 0% | 17% |
| Kanahooka | 2.9 km | 23% | 11% |
| Brownsville | 2.9 km | 73% | 59% |
| Warrawong | 3.7 km | 0% | 2% |
| Farmborough Heights | 3.8 km | <1% | 63% |
| Spring Hill | 3.9 km | 10% | 0% |
| Cordeaux Heights | 4.3 km | 0% | 56% |
| Koonawarra | 4.4 km | 0% | 38% |