Katoomba flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Katoomba
(Blue Mountains, NSW) - 25.49 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 2 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
25.49 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Katoomba'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 Katoomba
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 26 Sep 2026
typical observed square 1 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 3,000 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.
Katoomba at a glance
How Katoomba is zoned
Buying in Katoomba? 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 25.49 km², Katoomba is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 83% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 189 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 809 m² across 5,956 parcels.
Who lives in Katoomba
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Katoomba 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 967, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Katoomba's 8,268 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Katoomba - Leura, the wider ABS statistical area containing Katoomba. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Katoomba itself.
13,154 in 2001 to 13,569 in 2025, up 3%.
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.
Katoomba 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 2 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 Katoomba 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.
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 Katoomba lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Katoomba planning - frequently asked
Is Katoomba flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Katoomba and less than 1% of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 1%).
Is Katoomba bushfire-prone?
Around 83% of Katoomba is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Blue Mountains average of 96%.
Is Katoomba under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 68% of Katoomba in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 3,000 ft. 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 Katoomba?
The dominant planning zone in Katoomba is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Environmental Living.
Does Katoomba have heritage-listed places?
Katoomba has 189 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Katoomba?
Across 5,956 surveyed parcels in Katoomba, the median lot size is about 809 m². There are also 9 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Katoomba have a train station?
Yes - Katoomba has 1 train station: Katoomba Station. It is also served by 225 bus stops.
What is the population of Katoomba?
At the 2021 Census Katoomba had 8,268 usual residents, with a median age of 48 and an average household size of 2.1 people. The wider Katoomba - Leura statistical area, which contains Katoomba, went from 13,154 people in 2001 to 13,569 in 2025, up 3%.
Is Katoomba an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Katoomba scores 967 and sits in decile 4 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 Katoomba?
Median household income in Katoomba was $1,171 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,083 for the typical suburb in Blue Mountains. Median rent was $350 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,600 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medlow Bath | 3.6 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Leura | 3.9 km | 1% | 82% |
| Blackheath | 8.1 km | Not mapped | 94% |
| Narrow Neck | 8.2 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Wentworth Falls | 8.7 km | 2% | 89% |
| Megalong Valley | 9.3 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Rocklily Ridge | 10.0 km | 0% | 100% |
| Govetts | 10.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Bullaburra | 10.9 km | 1% | 96% |
| Kanimbla Lithgow City |
11.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |