Fullerton Cove flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Fullerton Cove (Port Stephens, NSW) - 30.99 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 schematicFullerton Cove

Constraint readout

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

Flood overlay 70%

1.6× council avg (45%) · #8 of 45 mapped council suburbs

Bushfire-prone 51%

below council avg (82%) · #41 of 45 mapped council suburbs

Environmental60%

1.7× council avg (35%) · #12 of 45 in council

Heritage sites 2 Noise corridor 15% Aircraft noise (ANEF) 15% Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 44% Mostly National Parks and Nature Reserves Flood 8th most affected of 45 → Bushfire 41st most affected of 45 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Fullerton Cove'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 Fullerton Cove

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

15%

15% 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

ANEF 25

Under AS 2021, land between ANEF 25 and 30 is generally unacceptable for new houses; 20 to 25 is conditionally acceptable with noise attenuation. The contour is a forecast, not a measurement at any one house.

Contours held

Defence Airfields ANEF

Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026

Under observed aircraft

83%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

44%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

500 ft

averaging 4,000 ft

Busiest square

~5 a day

5 a day below 3,000 ft · ±11% · 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.

Fullerton Cove at a glance

Parcels 367 Median lot 492 m² Mapped easements 5 Bus stops 37

How Fullerton Cove is zoned

National Parks and Nature Reserves 54%

Rural Landscape 38%

Environmental Management 6%

Infrastructure 2%

Environmental Conservation 0%

Local Centre 0%

Buying in Fullerton Cove? 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 30.99 km², Fullerton Cove is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 70% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 51% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 2 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 492 m² across 367 parcels.

Who lives in Fullerton Cove

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Fullerton Cove suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population

735

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median household income

$1,062

per week, Port Stephens suburb typical $1,421

Median rent

$300

per week, Port Stephens suburb typical $365

Median mortgage

$1,873

per month

Household size

2.1

people, average

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 5

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 972, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 5

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Fullerton Cove's 735 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 1.1%

5-14 4.8%

15-19 2.5%

20-24 1.9%

25-34 3.2%

35-44 3.4%

45-54 5.8%

55-64 13.6%

65-74 36.9%

75-84 24.2%

85+ 2.5%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

6,145 in 2001 to 9,709 in 2025, up 58%.

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.

Fullerton Cove 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 Fullerton Cove 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 44% of Fullerton Cove. 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 Fullerton Cove lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Fullerton Cove planning - frequently asked

Is Fullerton Cove flood-prone?

About 70% of Fullerton Cove falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 45%.

Is Fullerton Cove bushfire-prone?

Around 51% of Fullerton Cove is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Port Stephens average of 82%.

Is Fullerton Cove affected by aircraft noise?

About 15% of Fullerton Cove sits inside a published aircraft noise contour, and the highest contour present is ANEF 25 - 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 Fullerton Cove under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 44% of Fullerton Cove, and over about 83% 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 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 5 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 Fullerton Cove?

The dominant planning zone in Fullerton Cove is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Environmental Management.

Does Fullerton Cove have heritage-listed places?

Fullerton Cove has 2 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Fullerton Cove?

Across 367 surveyed parcels in Fullerton Cove, the median lot size is about 492 m². There are also 5 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Fullerton Cove have a train station?

There is no train station inside Fullerton Cove itself. The suburb is served by 37 bus stops.

What is the population of Fullerton Cove?

At the 2021 Census Fullerton Cove had 735 usual residents, with a median age of 69 and an average household size of 2.1 people. The wider Stockton - Fullerton Cove statistical area, which contains Fullerton Cove, went from 6,145 people in 2001 to 9,709 in 2025, up 58%.

Is Fullerton Cove an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Fullerton Cove scores 972 and sits in decile 5 of 10 nationally and decile 4 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Fullerton Cove?

Median household income in Fullerton Cove was $1,062 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,421 for the typical suburb in Port Stephens. Median rent was $300 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,873 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Fern Bay	2.8 km	20%	65%
Williamtown	3.6 km	48%	88%
Stockton Newcastle	7.1 km	20%	26%
Kooragang Newcastle	7.8 km	78%	2%
Campvale	7.9 km	28%	99%
Mayfield North Newcastle	8.9 km	54%	0%
Newcastle Newcastle	9.0 km	83%	0%
Tomago	9.1 km	73%	77%
Mayfield East Newcastle	9.7 km	25%	0%
Carrington Newcastle	9.7 km	81%	0%

See all Port Stephens suburb profiles →