Clifton flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Clifton (Wollongong, NSW) - 0.86 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.

Planning schematicClifton

Constraint readout

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

Flood overlay 0%

below council avg (12%) · #38 of 68 mapped council suburbs

Bushfire-prone 96%

1.7× council avg (56%) · #14 of 68 mapped council suburbs

Environmental65%

1.7× council avg (39%) · #15 of 68 in council

Heritage sites 12 Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 100% Mostly Environmental Conservation Bushfire 14th most affected of 68 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Clifton'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 Clifton

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

Under observed aircraft

100%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

100%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

500 ft

averaging 2,500 ft

Busiest square

~2 a day

2 a day below 3,000 ft · ±16% · area average
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.

Clifton at a glance

Parcels 48 Median lot 955 m² Mapped easements 2 Bus stops 4

How Clifton is zoned

Environmental Conservation 35%

National Parks and Nature Reserves 32%

Infrastructure 11%

Public Recreation 11%

Environmental Living 8%

Environmental Management 2%

Buying in Clifton? 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 0.86 km², Clifton is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 96% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 12 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 955 m² across 48 parcels.

Who lives in Clifton

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Clifton 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 10

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1130, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 10

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

10,592 in 2001 to 12,148 in 2025, up 15%.

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.

Clifton 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 Clifton 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 100% of Clifton. 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 Clifton lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Clifton planning - frequently asked

Is Clifton flood-prone?

Flood mapping covers Clifton and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 12%).

Is Clifton bushfire-prone?

Around 96% of Clifton is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%.

Is Clifton under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Clifton, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 2,500 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 Clifton?

The dominant planning zone in Clifton is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Infrastructure.

Does Clifton have heritage-listed places?

Clifton has 12 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Clifton?

Across 48 surveyed parcels in Clifton, the median lot size is about 955 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Clifton have a train station?

There is no train station inside Clifton itself. The suburb is served by 4 bus stops.

Is Clifton an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Clifton scores 1130 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 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
Scarborough	1.4 km	0%	91%
Coalcliff	1.5 km	0%	96%
Wombarra	2.7 km	0%	76%
Maddens Plains	3.1 km	0%	99%
Stanwell Park	3.4 km	0%	87%
Coledale	4.2 km	0%	71%
Stanwell Tops	4.4 km	0%	100%
Austinmer	6.1 km	0%	73%
Darkes Forest	6.2 km	0%	98%
Otford	6.5 km	0%	99%

See all Wollongong suburb profiles →