Calderwood flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Calderwood
(Shellharbour, NSW) - 17.82 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
17.82 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Calderwood'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 Calderwood
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: observed, lowest 5,000 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.
Calderwood at a glance
How Calderwood is zoned
Buying in Calderwood? 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 17.82 km², Calderwood is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 87% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 6 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Management. The median lot measures about 425 m² across 2,345 parcels.
Who lives in Calderwood
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Calderwood 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 1063, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Calderwood's 3,013 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Albion Park - Macquarie Pass, the wider ABS statistical area containing Calderwood. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Calderwood itself.
11,670 in 2001 to 23,649 in 2025, up 103%.
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.
Calderwood 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 Calderwood 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 Calderwood. 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 Calderwood lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Calderwood planning - frequently asked
Is Calderwood flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Calderwood and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay.
Is Calderwood bushfire-prone?
Around 87% of Calderwood is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Shellharbour average of 47%.
Is Calderwood under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 22% of Calderwood, and over about 73% 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 4,000 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 Calderwood?
The dominant planning zone in Calderwood is Environmental Management, though the suburb also includes Primary Production and General Residential.
Does Calderwood have heritage-listed places?
Calderwood has 6 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Calderwood?
Across 2,345 surveyed parcels in Calderwood, the median lot size is about 425 m². There are also 21 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Calderwood have a train station?
There is no train station inside Calderwood itself. The suburb is served by 32 bus stops.
What is the population of Calderwood?
At the 2021 Census Calderwood had 3,013 usual residents, with a median age of 30 and an average household size of 3.1 people. The wider Albion Park - Macquarie Pass statistical area, which contains Calderwood, went from 11,670 people in 2001 to 23,649 in 2025, up 103%.
Is Calderwood an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Calderwood scores 1063 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Calderwood?
Median household income in Calderwood was $2,431 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,718 for the typical suburb in Shellharbour. Median rent was $580 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,470 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Marshall Mount Wollongong |
2.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Tullimbar | 2.6 km | Not mapped | 82% |
| Tongarra | 3.9 km | 0% | 100% |
| Avondale Wollongong |
4.8 km | 6% | 97% |
| Yellow Rock Ridge | 4.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Albion Park | 5.2 km | Not mapped | 46% |
| Albion Park Rail | 6.0 km | 0% | 34% |
| Macquarie Pass | 6.1 km | 0% | 100% |
| Haywards Bay Wollongong |
6.6 km | 0% | 64% |
| Yallah Wollongong |
7.0 km | 0% | 74% |