Calala flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Calala
(Tamworth Regional, NSW) - 62.95 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
62.95 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Calala'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 Calala
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 3,500 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.
Calala at a glance
How Calala is zoned
Buying in Calala? 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 62.95 km², Calala is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 6% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 94% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production Small Lots. The median lot measures about 789 m² across 1,990 parcels.
Who lives in Calala
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Calala 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 991, and decile 5 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Calala's 4,577 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Tamworth - East, the wider ABS statistical area containing Calala. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Calala itself.
18,804 in 2001 to 22,677 in 2025, up 21%.
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.
Calala 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 Calala 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 5% of Calala. 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 Calala lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Calala planning - frequently asked
Is Calala flood-prone?
About 6% of Calala falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 3%.
Is Calala bushfire-prone?
Around 94% of Calala is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Tamworth Regional average of 92%.
Is Calala under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 5% of Calala, and over about 56% 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 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 10 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 Calala?
The dominant planning zone in Calala is Primary Production Small Lots, though the suburb also includes Primary Production and General Residential.
Does Calala have heritage-listed places?
Calala has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Calala?
Across 1,990 surveyed parcels in Calala, the median lot size is about 789 m². There are also 22 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Calala have a train station?
There is no train station inside Calala itself. The suburb is served by 222 bus stops.
What is the population of Calala?
At the 2021 Census Calala had 4,577 usual residents, with a median age of 33 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Tamworth - East statistical area, which contains Calala, went from 18,804 people in 2001 to 22,677 in 2025, up 21%.
Is Calala an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Calala scores 991 and sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally and decile 5 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Calala?
Median household income in Calala was $1,863 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,519 for the typical suburb in Tamworth Regional. Median rent was $350 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,600 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nemingha | 4.5 km | 16% | 98% |
| Piallamore | 6.1 km | 0% | 99% |
| Kingswood | 6.3 km | 10% | 86% |
| East Tamworth | 7.9 km | 18% | 76% |
| Hillvue | 9.2 km | 7% | 30% |
| South Tamworth | 9.4 km | 38% | 40% |
| Tamworth | 9.8 km | 11% | 9% |
| Tintinhull | 10.2 km | <1% | 98% |
| West Tamworth | 10.7 km | 29% | 27% |
| Timbumburi | 11.3 km | 0% | 100% |