Cleveland flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Cleveland (Wollongong, NSW) - 3.17 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.

Planning schematicCleveland

Constraint readout

3.17 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.

Flood overlay 53%

4.4× council avg (12%) · #3 of 68 mapped council suburbs

Bushfire-prone 100%

1.8× council avg (56%) · #1 of 68 mapped council suburbs

Environmental14%

below council avg (39%) · #47 of 68 in council

Heritage sites 2 Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 11% Mostly Low Density Residential Flood 3rd most affected of 68 → Bushfire 1st most affected of 68 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Cleveland'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 Cleveland

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

Under observed aircraft

70%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

11%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

1,500 ft

averaging 3,500 ft

Busiest square

~1 a day

1 a day below 3,000 ft · ±30% · area average
typical observed square 1 a day

Night movements: observed, lowest 4,000 ft - night is sampled far less often than day, 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.

Cleveland at a glance

Parcels 29 Median lot 36,528 m² Mapped easements 8 Bus stops 2

How Cleveland is zoned

Low Density Residential 49%

Rural Landscape 27%

Environmental Management 10%

Medium Density Residential 4%

Environmental Conservation 3%

Public Recreation 3%

Buying in Cleveland? 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 3.17 km², Cleveland is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 53% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 2 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 36,528 m² across 29 parcels.

Who lives in Cleveland

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

Population

usual residents, 2021

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 8

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1033, and decile 7 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 8

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

21,968 in 2001 to 24,842 in 2025, up 13%.

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.

Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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 11% of Cleveland. 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 Cleveland lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Cleveland planning - frequently asked

Is Cleveland flood-prone?

About 53% of Cleveland falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 12%.

Is Cleveland bushfire-prone?

Around 100% of Cleveland is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%.

Is Cleveland under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 11% of Cleveland, and over about 70% 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 1,500 ft, with an average of 3,500 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 Cleveland?

The dominant planning zone in Cleveland is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Environmental Management.

Does Cleveland have heritage-listed places?

Cleveland has 2 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Cleveland?

Across 29 surveyed parcels in Cleveland, the median lot size is about 36,528 m². There are also 8 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Cleveland have a train station?

There is no train station inside Cleveland itself. The suburb is served by 2 bus stops.

Is Cleveland an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Cleveland scores 1033 and sits in decile 8 of 10 nationally and decile 7 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Horsley	1.6 km	36%	45%
Dapto	2.4 km	11%	29%
Avondale	2.9 km	6%	97%
Huntley	3.2 km	7%	94%
Koonawarra	3.5 km	0%	38%
Stream Hill	3.7 km	31%	88%
Wongawilli	3.9 km	11%	79%
Yallah	4.1 km	0%	74%
Kanahooka	4.4 km	23%	11%
Brownsville	4.6 km	73%	59%

See all Wollongong suburb profiles →