Dora Creek flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Dora Creek
(Lake Macquarie, NSW) - 10.3 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
10.3 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Dora Creek'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 Dora Creek
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 0 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 9,000 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.
Dora Creek at a glance
How Dora Creek is zoned
Buying in Dora Creek? 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 10.3 km², Dora Creek is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 47% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 74% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 5 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 841 m² across 1,115 parcels.
Who lives in Dora Creek
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Dora Creek 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 938, and decile 3 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Dora Creek's 1,739 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Morisset - Cooranbong, the wider ABS statistical area containing Dora Creek. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Dora Creek itself.
12,601 in 2001 to 21,067 in 2025, up 67%.
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.
Dora Creek 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 Dora Creek 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 3% of Dora Creek. 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 Dora Creek. 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 Dora Creek lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Dora Creek planning - frequently asked
Is Dora Creek flood-prone?
About 47% of Dora Creek falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 7%. Published flood models are held over parts of Dora Creek; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Dora Creek bushfire-prone?
Around 74% of Dora Creek is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Lake Macquarie average of 65%.
Is Dora Creek under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 3% of Dora Creek, and over about 47% 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 1,500 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 Dora Creek?
The dominant planning zone in Dora Creek is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Low Density Residential.
Does Dora Creek have heritage-listed places?
Dora Creek has 5 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Dora Creek?
Across 1,115 surveyed parcels in Dora Creek, the median lot size is about 841 m². There are also 15 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Dora Creek have a train station?
Yes - Dora Creek has 1 train station: Dora Creek Station. It is also served by 27 bus stops.
What is the population of Dora Creek?
At the 2021 Census Dora Creek had 1,739 usual residents, with a median age of 51 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Morisset - Cooranbong statistical area, which contains Dora Creek, went from 12,601 people in 2001 to 21,067 in 2025, up 67%.
Is Dora Creek an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Dora Creek scores 938 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 3 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Dora Creek?
Median household income in Dora Creek was $1,401 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,636 for the typical suburb in Lake Macquarie. Median rent was $380 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,744 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Eraring | 3.0 km | 32% | 60% |
| Cooranbong | 3.2 km | 8% | 92% |
| Bonnells Bay | 4.8 km | 2% | 54% |
| Myuna Bay | 5.0 km | 0% | 66% |
| Morisset | 5.0 km | 12% | 85% |
| Windermere Park | 5.9 km | Not mapped | 33% |
| Yarrawonga Park | 5.9 km | Not mapped | 80% |
| Balcolyn | 6.1 km | Not mapped | 37% |
| Brightwaters | 6.5 km | <1% | 75% |
| Morisset Park | 6.6 km | 5% | 33% |