Freshwater flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Freshwater
(Northern Beaches, NSW) - 1.84 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is relatively unconstrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
1.84 km² - this suburb is relatively unconstrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Freshwater'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 Freshwater
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 2 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 2,500 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.
Freshwater at a glance
How Freshwater is zoned
Buying in Freshwater? 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 1.84 km², Freshwater is relatively unconstrained by planning overlays. About 10% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 25 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 504 m² across 2,053 parcels.
Who lives in Freshwater
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Freshwater 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 1151, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Freshwater's 9,186 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Freshwater - Brookvale, the wider ABS statistical area containing Freshwater. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Freshwater itself.
18,072 in 2001 to 23,383 in 2025, up 29%.
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.
Freshwater 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 Freshwater 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 86% of Freshwater. 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 Freshwater. 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 Freshwater lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Freshwater planning - frequently asked
Is Freshwater flood-prone?
About 10% of Freshwater falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 12%. Published flood models are held over parts of Freshwater; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Freshwater bushfire-prone?
Bushfire mapping covers Freshwater and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone (the Northern Beaches average is 47%).
Is Freshwater under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 86% of Freshwater, and over about 100% 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 500 ft, with an average of 2,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 6 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 Freshwater?
The dominant planning zone in Freshwater is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Public Recreation and Medium Density Residential.
Does Freshwater have heritage-listed places?
Freshwater has 25 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Freshwater?
Across 2,053 surveyed parcels in Freshwater, the median lot size is about 504 m². There are also 16 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Freshwater have a train station?
There is no train station inside Freshwater itself. The suburb is served by 102 bus stops.
What is the population of Freshwater?
At the 2021 Census Freshwater had 9,186 usual residents, with a median age of 37 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Freshwater - Brookvale statistical area, which contains Freshwater, went from 18,072 people in 2001 to 23,383 in 2025, up 29%.
Is Freshwater an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Freshwater scores 1151 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).
What is the median household income in Freshwater?
Median household income in Freshwater was $2,726 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,778 for the typical suburb in Northern Beaches. Median rent was $600 a week and the median mortgage repayment $3,055 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Queenscliff | 0.8 km | 13% | 0% |
| Curl Curl | 0.9 km | 46% | 0% |
| North Manly | 1.2 km | 45% | 0% |
| North Curl Curl | 1.5 km | 40% | 6% |
| Manly Vale | 1.9 km | 28% | 23% |
| Brookvale | 2.0 km | 39% | 18% |
| Fairlight | 2.2 km | 14% | 0% |
| Dee Why | 2.8 km | 28% | 10% |
| Balgowlah | 3.0 km | 11% | 8% |
| Narraweena | 3.0 km | 10% | 8% |