Earlwood flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Earlwood
(Canterbury-Bankstown, NSW) - 5.58 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is moderately constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
5.58 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Earlwood'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 Earlwood
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.
Inside an aircraft noise contour
<1% of the suburb's land sits inside a published ANEF or airport-environs contour. Contours vary street by street, so whether a particular lot is inside one needs a property-level check.
Highest contour present
Under AS 2021, land between ANEF 20 and 25 is conditionally acceptable for houses, usually with noise attenuation built in. The contour is a forecast, not a measurement at any one house.
Contours held
- sydney_airport_anef
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026
typical observed square 4 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 1,000 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.
Earlwood at a glance
How Earlwood is zoned
Buying in Earlwood? 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 5.58 km², Earlwood is moderately constrained by planning overlays. About 12% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 18% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 30 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 498 m² across 6,512 parcels.
Who lives in Earlwood
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Earlwood 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 1071, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Earlwood's 18,053 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Earlwood, the wider ABS statistical area containing Earlwood. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Earlwood itself.
17,789 in 2001 to 18,194 in 2025, up 2%.
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.
Earlwood 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) | Inside a held contour | 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 Earlwood 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 Earlwood. 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 Earlwood. 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 Earlwood lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Earlwood planning - frequently asked
Is Earlwood flood-prone?
About 12% of Earlwood falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 18%. Published flood models are held over parts of Earlwood; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Earlwood bushfire-prone?
Around 18% of Earlwood is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Canterbury-Bankstown average of 10%.
Is Earlwood affected by aircraft noise?
About <1% of Earlwood sits inside a published aircraft noise contour, and the highest contour present is ANEF 20 - under AS 2021, land between ANEF 20 and 25 is conditionally acceptable for houses, usually with noise attenuation in the build. ANEF contours are forecasts published per airport and used to control noise-sensitive development; they are not a measurement at any one house, and a property can sit under a flight path and outside every contour.
Is Earlwood under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Earlwood, 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 34 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 Earlwood?
The dominant planning zone in Earlwood is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Public Recreation and Medium Density Residential.
Does Earlwood have heritage-listed places?
Earlwood has 30 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Earlwood?
Across 6,512 surveyed parcels in Earlwood, the median lot size is about 498 m². There are also 17 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Earlwood have a train station?
There is no train station inside Earlwood itself. The suburb is served by 161 bus stops.
What is the population of Earlwood?
At the 2021 Census Earlwood had 18,053 usual residents, with a median age of 44 and an average household size of 2.8 people. The wider Earlwood statistical area, which contains Earlwood, went from 17,789 people in 2001 to 18,194 in 2025, up 2%.
Is Earlwood an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Earlwood scores 1071 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Earlwood?
Median household income in Earlwood was $2,164 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,706 for the typical suburb in Canterbury-Bankstown. Median rent was $570 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,817 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Turrella Bayside |
1.2 km | 30% | 25% |
| Bardwell Park Bayside |
1.4 km | 7% | 19% |
| Bardwell Valley Bayside |
1.4 km | 3% | <1% |
| Hurlstone Park | 1.7 km | 11% | 0% |
| Canterbury | 1.9 km | 12% | 0% |
| Wolli Creek Bayside |
2.1 km | 30% | <1% |
| Arncliffe Bayside |
2.2 km | 12% | 0% |
| Dulwich Hill Inner West |
2.3 km | 13% | 0% |
| Clemton Park | 2.4 km | Not mapped | 0% |
| Bexley North Bayside |
2.4 km | <1% | 3% |