Haywards Bay flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Haywards Bay (Wollongong, NSW) - 1.14 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Everything below is suburb-wide. Overlays change block to block - see which ones actually touch your lot. The map is free.
Constraint readout
1.14 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Haywards Bay's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. It shows where constraints fall; the interactive map shows them on your exact address.
Haywards Bay at a glance
How Haywards Bay is zoned
Buying in Haywards Bay? 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 1.14 km², Haywards Bay is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 64% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 573 m² across 447 parcels. These figures are suburb-wide - the overlays that actually apply to a given lot can differ block to block, which is what a property-level check tells you.
Who lives in Haywards Bay
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Haywards Bay 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 1049, and decile 8 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Haywards Bay's 1,280 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Dapto - Avondale, the wider ABS statistical area containing Haywards Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Haywards Bay itself.
21,968 in 2001 to 24,842 in 2025, up 13%.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Census of Population and Housing 2021 (General Community Profile) and SEIFA 2021, both published at the Suburbs and Localities level; Regional Population (estimated resident population) at Statistical Area Level 2. Used under CC BY 4.0. Census counts of small populations are randomly adjusted by the ABS to protect confidentiality, so figures for small suburbs are indicative.
Haywards Bay data sources and coverage
Every figure below is an aggregate for the suburb boundary. “Not mapped” means LayeredGeo does not hold a source layer covering this suburb; it is never an all-clear for a particular property.
| 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 |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 5 August 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 Haywards Bay 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.
See what's in the $9 report →Haywards Bay planning - frequently asked
Where can I see a flood map of Haywards Bay?
The schematic on this page is a Haywards Bay flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Haywards Bay address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.
Is Haywards Bay flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Haywards Bay and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 4%). Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.
Is Haywards Bay bushfire-prone?
Yes - around 64% of Haywards Bay is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.
What is the zoning in Haywards Bay?
The dominant planning zone in Haywards Bay is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Public Recreation. Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.
Does Haywards Bay have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Haywards Bay. Even so, it is worth confirming for an individual property before any works.
What is the typical lot size in Haywards Bay?
Across 447 surveyed parcels in Haywards Bay, the median lot size is about 573 m².
Does Haywards Bay have a train station?
There is no train station inside Haywards Bay itself. The suburb is served by 2 bus stops.
What is the population of Haywards Bay?
At the 2021 Census Haywards Bay had 1,280 usual residents, with a median age of 38 and an average household size of 3.1 people. The wider Dapto - Avondale statistical area, which contains Haywards Bay, went from 21,968 people in 2001 to 24,842 in 2025, up 13%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Haywards Bay alone.
Is Haywards Bay an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Haywards Bay scores 1049 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 8 within New South Wales - decile 1 being the most disadvantaged tenth of Australian suburbs and decile 10 the least. The national average score is 1000. SEIFA summarises income, education, occupation and housing across the whole suburb, so it describes the area, not any particular household in it.
What is the median household income in Haywards Bay?
Median household income in Haywards Bay was $2,308 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,912 for the typical suburb in Wollongong. Median rent was $590 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,383 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.
Do I need a planning report for a Haywards Bay property?
A Haywards Bay planning report pulls every overlay - zoning, flood, bushfire, heritage and environmental - that touches a single lot, on live council and state data. The interactive map preview is free; a full PDF report is $9.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Yallah | 1.3 km | 0% | 74% |
| Albion Park Rail Shellharbour |
1.8 km | 0% | 34% |
| Oak Flats Shellharbour |
3.1 km | 0% | 13% |
| Shellharbour City Centre Shellharbour |
4.4 km | Not mapped | 5% |
| Albion Park Shellharbour |
4.4 km | Not mapped | 46% |
| Koonawarra | 4.4 km | 0% | 38% |
| Mount Warrigal Shellharbour |
4.5 km | 0% | 7% |
| Blackbutt Shellharbour |
4.5 km | Not mapped | 57% |
| Dapto | 4.7 km | 7% | 29% |
| Cleveland | 5.2 km | 51% | 100% |