Ferodale flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Ferodale
(Port Stephens, NSW) - 82.38 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 2 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
82.38 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Ferodale's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Amber hatching is the published aircraft noise (ANEF) contour. 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 Ferodale
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
19% 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 at ANEF 30 and above is generally unacceptable for new houses and most noise-sensitive uses. The contour is a forecast, not a measurement at any one house.
Contours held
- Defence Airfields ANEF
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 26 Sep 2026
typical observed square 2 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 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.
Ferodale at a glance
How Ferodale is zoned
Buying in Ferodale? 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 82.38 km², Ferodale is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 50% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 74% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Special Activities. The median lot measures about 66,867 m² across 486 parcels.
Who lives in Ferodale
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Ferodale 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 921, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Ferodale's 98 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Williamtown - Medowie - Karuah, the wider ABS statistical area containing Ferodale. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Ferodale itself.
10,830 in 2001 to 17,178 in 2025, up 59%.
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.
Ferodale 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 2 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 Ferodale 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 20% of Ferodale. 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 Ferodale lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Ferodale planning - frequently asked
Is Ferodale flood-prone?
About 50% of Ferodale falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 45%.
Is Ferodale bushfire-prone?
Around 74% of Ferodale is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Port Stephens average of 82%.
Is Ferodale affected by aircraft noise?
About 19% of Ferodale sits inside a published aircraft noise contour, and the highest contour present is ANEF 30 - under AS 2021, land above ANEF 25 is generally considered unacceptable for new houses, and 20-25 conditionally acceptable with noise attenuation. 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 Ferodale under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 20% of Ferodale, and over about 42% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 26 Sep 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 2,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 37 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 Ferodale?
The dominant planning zone in Ferodale is Special Activities, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Rural Landscape.
Does Ferodale have heritage-listed places?
Ferodale has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Ferodale?
Across 486 surveyed parcels in Ferodale, the median lot size is about 66,867 m².
Does Ferodale have a train station?
There is no train station inside Ferodale itself. The suburb is served by 18 bus stops.
What is the population of Ferodale?
At the 2021 Census Ferodale had 98 usual residents, with a median age of 43 and an average household size of 2.8 people. The wider Williamtown - Medowie - Karuah statistical area, which contains Ferodale, went from 10,830 people in 2001 to 17,178 in 2025, up 59%.
Is Ferodale an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Ferodale scores 921 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Ferodale?
Median household income in Ferodale was $1,562 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,421 for the typical suburb in Port Stephens. Median rent was $400 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,175 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kings Hill | 4.0 km | 13% | 99% |
| Eagleton | 4.2 km | 32% | 100% |
| Balickera | 6.9 km | 22% | 99% |
| Raymond Terrace | 6.9 km | 54% | 76% |
| Campvale | 7.2 km | 28% | 99% |
| Medowie | 7.2 km | 39% | 79% |
| Nelsons Plains | 9.0 km | 71% | 98% |
| Twelve Mile Creek | 9.9 km | 34% | 100% |
| Williamtown | 10.7 km | 48% | 88% |
| East Seaham | 10.8 km | 41% | 99% |