Planning Maps / Areas / Port Stephens / Butterwick

Butterwick flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Butterwick (Port Stephens, NSW) - 12.07 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Butterwick's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. It shows where constraints fall; the interactive map shows them on your exact address.

Butterwick at a glance

Parcels 89 Median lot 42,461 m² Mapped easements 3 Bus stops 10

How Butterwick is zoned

Rural Landscape 46%
Primary Production 28%
Environmental Management 17%
Environmental Conservation 8%

Buying in Butterwick? 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 12.07 km², Butterwick is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 42,461 m² across 89 parcels. These figures are suburb-wide - the overlays that actually apply to a given lot can differ block to block, which is what a property-level check tells you.

Who lives in Butterwick

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

Population
190
usual residents, 2021
Median age
42
years
Median household income
$2,666
per week, Port Stephens suburb typical $1,421
Median rent
$650
per week, Port Stephens suburb typical $365
Median mortgage
$2,275
per month
Household size
3.1
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 9
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1051, and decile 8 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 10
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Butterwick's 190 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 4.4%
5-14 16.4%
15-19 8.7%
20-24 4.4%
25-34 2.7%
35-44 14.2%
45-54 18.6%
55-64 14.2%
65-74 13.7%
75-84 2.7%
85+ 0.0%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

4,443 in 2001 to 5,899 in 2025, up 33%.

Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Census of Population and Housing 2021 (General Community Profile) and SEIFA 2021, both published at the Suburbs and Localities level; Regional Population (estimated resident population) at Statistical Area Level 2. Used under CC BY 4.0. Census counts of small populations are randomly adjusted by the ABS to protect confidentiality, so figures for small suburbs are indicative.

Butterwick data sources and coverage

Every figure below is an aggregate for the suburb boundary. “Not mapped” means LayeredGeo does not hold a source layer covering this suburb; it is never an all-clear for a particular property.

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
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)

Profile last materially updated 5 August 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 Butterwick 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 →

Butterwick planning - frequently asked

Where can I see a flood map of Butterwick?

The schematic on this page is a Butterwick flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Butterwick address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.

Is Butterwick flood-prone?

Flood mapping covers Butterwick and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay. Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.

Is Butterwick bushfire-prone?

Yes - around 100% of Butterwick is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Port Stephens average of 82%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.

What is the zoning in Butterwick?

The dominant planning zone in Butterwick is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Primary Production and Environmental Management. Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.

Does Butterwick have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within Butterwick. Even so, it is worth confirming for an individual property before any works.

What is the typical lot size in Butterwick?

Across 89 surveyed parcels in Butterwick, the median lot size is about 42,461 m². There are also 3 registered easements mapped in the suburb - an easement can restrict where you can build, so always check the title and overlays for the specific lot.

Does Butterwick have a train station?

There is no train station inside Butterwick itself. The suburb is served by 10 bus stops.

What is the population of Butterwick?

At the 2021 Census Butterwick had 190 usual residents, with a median age of 42 and an average household size of 3.1 people. The wider Seaham - Woodville statistical area, which contains Butterwick, went from 4,443 people in 2001 to 5,899 in 2025, up 33%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Butterwick alone.

Is Butterwick an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Butterwick scores 1051 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 8 within New South Wales - decile 1 being the most disadvantaged tenth of Australian suburbs and decile 10 the least. The national average score is 1000. SEIFA summarises income, education, occupation and housing across the whole suburb, so it describes the area, not any particular household in it.

What is the median household income in Butterwick?

Median household income in Butterwick was $2,666 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,421 for the typical suburb in Port Stephens. Median rent was $650 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,275 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.

Do I need a planning report for a Butterwick property?

A Butterwick planning report pulls every overlay - zoning, flood, bushfire, heritage and environmental - that touches a single lot, on live council and state data. The interactive map preview is free; a full PDF report is $9.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Woodville 3.5 km 0% 100%
Duns Creek 4.7 km 0% 100%
Wallalong 4.8 km 0% 87%
Seaham 5.5 km 0% 97%
Brandy Hill 5.9 km 0% 100%
Largs
Maitland
6.9 km 0% 88%
Phoenix Park
Maitland
7.0 km 0% 99%
Mindaribba
Maitland
7.4 km 0% 100%
Bolwarra Heights
Maitland
7.8 km 0% 71%
Glen Oak 7.9 km 0% 100%

See all Port Stephens suburb profiles →