Cataract flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Cataract
(Wollongong, NSW) - 204.35 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
204.35 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Cataract'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 Cataract
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 1 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 3,000 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.
Cataract at a glance
How Cataract is zoned
Buying in Cataract? 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 204.35 km², Cataract is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 98% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 9 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 164,377 m² across 63 parcels.
Who lives in Cataract
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Cataract suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Illawarra Catchment Reserve, the wider ABS statistical area containing Cataract. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Cataract itself.
13 in 2001 to 5 in 2025, down 62%.
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.
Cataract 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 Cataract 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 63% of Cataract. 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 Cataract lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Cataract planning - frequently asked
Is Cataract flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Cataract and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 12%).
Is Cataract bushfire-prone?
Around 98% of Cataract is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%.
Is Cataract under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 63% of Cataract, and over about 92% 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 500 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 Cataract?
The dominant planning zone in Cataract is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes Infrastructure and National Parks and Nature Reserves.
Does Cataract have heritage-listed places?
Cataract has 9 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Cataract?
Across 63 surveyed parcels in Cataract, the median lot size is about 164,377 m². There are also 24 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Cataract have a train station?
There is no train station inside Cataract itself. The suburb is served by 2 bus stops.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bulli | 7.9 km | 5% | 64% |
| Cordeaux | 8.4 km | 0% | 97% |
| Russell Vale | 8.4 km | 11% | 39% |
| Thirroul | 8.9 km | 0% | 52% |
| Woonona | 9.0 km | 15% | 41% |
| Tarrawanna | 9.1 km | 8% | 71% |
| Corrimal | 9.3 km | 14% | 39% |
| Balgownie | 9.8 km | 22% | 51% |
| Mount Keira | 10.1 km | 3% | 93% |
| Austinmer | 10.2 km | 0% | 73% |