Charlestown flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Charlestown
(Lake Macquarie, NSW) - 7.09 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
7.09 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Charlestown'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 Charlestown
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 1,500 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.
Charlestown at a glance
How Charlestown is zoned
Buying in Charlestown? 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 7.09 km², Charlestown is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 47% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 8 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 662 m² across 5,018 parcels.
Who lives in Charlestown
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Charlestown 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 1018, and decile 7 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Charlestown's 13,601 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Charlestown - Dudley, the wider ABS statistical area containing Charlestown. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Charlestown itself.
23,557 in 2001 to 26,087 in 2025, up 11%.
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.
Charlestown 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 Charlestown 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 46% of Charlestown. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Published flood models are held over parts of Charlestown. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$9 with the planning report.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Charlestown lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Charlestown planning - frequently asked
Is Charlestown flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Charlestown and less than 1% of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 7%). Published flood models are held over parts of Charlestown; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Charlestown bushfire-prone?
Around 47% of Charlestown is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Lake Macquarie average of 65%.
Is Charlestown under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 46% of Charlestown, and over about 71% 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 1,000 ft, with an average of 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 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 Charlestown?
The dominant planning zone in Charlestown is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Medium Density Residential and Public Recreation.
Does Charlestown have heritage-listed places?
Charlestown has 8 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Charlestown?
Across 5,018 surveyed parcels in Charlestown, the median lot size is about 662 m². There are also 4 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Charlestown have a train station?
There is no train station inside Charlestown itself. The suburb is served by 221 bus stops.
What is the population of Charlestown?
At the 2021 Census Charlestown had 13,601 usual residents, with a median age of 38 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Charlestown - Dudley statistical area, which contains Charlestown, went from 23,557 people in 2001 to 26,087 in 2025, up 11%.
Is Charlestown an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Charlestown scores 1018 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 7 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Charlestown?
Median household income in Charlestown was $1,839 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,636 for the typical suburb in Lake Macquarie. Median rent was $400 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,000 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gateshead | 1.6 km | 13% | 44% |
| Kahibah | 1.9 km | Not mapped | 32% |
| Kotara South | 1.9 km | 3% | 27% |
| Hillsborough | 2.0 km | Not mapped | 81% |
| Whitebridge | 2.2 km | <1% | 91% |
| Mount Hutton | 2.2 km | 2% | 62% |
| Highfields | 2.5 km | Not mapped | 64% |
| Adamstown Heights Newcastle |
2.7 km | 8% | 52% |
| Garden Suburb | 2.8 km | Not mapped | 69% |
| Windale | 2.8 km | 4% | 34% |