Kareela flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Kareela
(Sutherland Shire, NSW) - 1.69 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is moderately constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
1.69 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Kareela'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 Kareela
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: not established - night is sampled as often as day, but too few night flights have been seen here to conclude either way.
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.
Kareela at a glance
How Kareela is zoned
Buying in Kareela? 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 1.69 km², Kareela is moderately constrained by planning overlays. About 8% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 12% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 567 m² across 1,243 parcels.
Who lives in Kareela
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Kareela 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 1125, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Kareela's 3,572 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Oyster Bay - Como - Jannali, the wider ABS statistical area containing Kareela. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Kareela itself.
21,252 in 2001 to 22,878 in 2025, up 8%.
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.
Kareela 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 Kareela 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 50% of Kareela. 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 Kareela lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Kareela planning - frequently asked
Is Kareela flood-prone?
About 8% of Kareela falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 22%.
Is Kareela bushfire-prone?
Around 12% of Kareela is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Sutherland Shire average of 46%.
Is Kareela under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 50% of Kareela, 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 4,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 10 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 Kareela?
The dominant planning zone in Kareela is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Environmental Living and Public Recreation.
Does Kareela have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Kareela.
What is the typical lot size in Kareela?
Across 1,243 surveyed parcels in Kareela, the median lot size is about 567 m². There are also 18 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Kareela have a train station?
There is no train station inside Kareela itself. The suburb is served by 45 bus stops.
What is the population of Kareela?
At the 2021 Census Kareela had 3,572 usual residents, with a median age of 42 and an average household size of 3.0 people. The wider Oyster Bay - Como - Jannali statistical area, which contains Kareela, went from 21,252 people in 2001 to 22,878 in 2025, up 8%.
Is Kareela an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Kareela scores 1125 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 Kareela?
Median household income in Kareela was $2,765 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,626 for the typical suburb in Sutherland Shire. Median rent was $695 a week and the median mortgage repayment $3,000 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oyster Bay | 1.2 km | 34% | 11% |
| Jannali | 1.3 km | 0% | 33% |
| Sylvania | 1.6 km | 32% | 0% |
| Kirrawee | 2.0 km | <1% | 13% |
| Gymea | 2.1 km | 11% | 1% |
| Kangaroo Point | 2.3 km | 70% | 0% |
| Como | 2.5 km | 24% | 21% |
| Miranda | 2.7 km | 16% | <1% |
| Bonnet Bay | 2.7 km | 36% | 59% |
| Sylvania Waters | 2.8 km | 62% | 0% |