Helensburgh flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Helensburgh
(Wollongong, NSW) - 18.47 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.
Constraint readout
18.47 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Helensburgh'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 Helensburgh
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 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.
Helensburgh at a glance
How Helensburgh is zoned
Buying in Helensburgh? 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 18.47 km², Helensburgh is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 92% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 36 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 684 m² across 2,582 parcels.
Who lives in Helensburgh
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Helensburgh 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 1068, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Helensburgh's 6,576 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Helensburgh, the wider ABS statistical area containing Helensburgh. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Helensburgh itself.
8,118 in 2001 to 9,174 in 2025, up 13%.
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.
Helensburgh 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 Helensburgh 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 90% of Helensburgh. 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 Helensburgh lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Helensburgh planning - frequently asked
Is Helensburgh flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Helensburgh and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 12%).
Is Helensburgh bushfire-prone?
Around 92% of Helensburgh is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%.
Is Helensburgh under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 90% of Helensburgh, and over about 97% 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 1,000 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 Helensburgh?
The dominant planning zone in Helensburgh is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Infrastructure.
Does Helensburgh have heritage-listed places?
Helensburgh has 36 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Helensburgh?
Across 2,582 surveyed parcels in Helensburgh, the median lot size is about 684 m². There are also 12 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Helensburgh have a train station?
Yes - Helensburgh has 1 train station: Helensburgh Station. It is also served by 130 bus stops.
What is the population of Helensburgh?
At the 2021 Census Helensburgh had 6,576 usual residents, with a median age of 38 and an average household size of 2.9 people. The wider Helensburgh statistical area, which contains Helensburgh, went from 8,118 people in 2001 to 9,174 in 2025, up 13%.
Is Helensburgh an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Helensburgh scores 1068 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 Helensburgh?
Median household income in Helensburgh was $2,490 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,912 for the typical suburb in Wollongong. Median rent was $535 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,500 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Otford | 3.2 km | 0% | 99% |
| Lilyvale | 3.9 km | 0% | 100% |
| Stanwell Tops | 4.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Woronora Dam | 5.1 km | 0% | 99% |
| Stanwell Park | 5.4 km | 0% | 87% |
| Waterfall Sutherland Shire |
6.5 km | 0% | 98% |
| Darkes Forest | 7.0 km | 0% | 98% |
| Coalcliff | 7.3 km | 0% | 96% |
| Uloola Sutherland Shire |
7.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Garie Sutherland Shire |
8.3 km | 0% | 100% |