Koonawarra flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Koonawarra
(Wollongong, NSW) - 2.18 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
2.18 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Koonawarra'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 Koonawarra
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: 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.
Koonawarra at a glance
How Koonawarra is zoned
Buying in Koonawarra? 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 2.18 km², Koonawarra is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 38% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 612 m² across 1,371 parcels.
Who lives in Koonawarra
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Koonawarra 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 860, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Koonawarra's 3,732 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Dapto - Avondale, the wider ABS statistical area containing Koonawarra. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Koonawarra itself.
21,968 in 2001 to 24,842 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.
Koonawarra 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 26 September 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 Koonawarra 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 36% of Koonawarra. 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 Koonawarra lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Koonawarra planning - frequently asked
Is Koonawarra flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Koonawarra and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 12%).
Is Koonawarra bushfire-prone?
Around 38% of Koonawarra is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%.
Is Koonawarra under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 36% of Koonawarra, and over about 66% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 26 Sep 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 2,000 ft, with an average of 3,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 2 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 Koonawarra?
The dominant planning zone in Koonawarra is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Public Recreation and Environmental Management.
Does Koonawarra have heritage-listed places?
Koonawarra has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Koonawarra?
Across 1,371 surveyed parcels in Koonawarra, the median lot size is about 612 m².
Does Koonawarra have a train station?
There is no train station inside Koonawarra itself. The suburb is served by 58 bus stops.
What is the population of Koonawarra?
At the 2021 Census Koonawarra had 3,732 usual residents, with a median age of 36 and an average household size of 2.6 people. The wider Dapto - Avondale statistical area, which contains Koonawarra, went from 21,968 people in 2001 to 24,842 in 2025, up 13%.
Is Koonawarra an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Koonawarra scores 860 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Koonawarra?
Median household income in Koonawarra was $1,258 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,912 for the typical suburb in Wollongong. Median rent was $350 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,733 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dapto | 1.1 km | 11% | 29% |
| Kanahooka | 1.8 km | 23% | 11% |
| Brownsville | 2.7 km | 73% | 59% |
| Yallah | 3.2 km | 0% | 74% |
| Horsley | 3.3 km | 36% | 45% |
| Cleveland | 3.5 km | 53% | 100% |
| Stream Hill | 4.2 km | 31% | 88% |
| Berkeley | 4.4 km | 29% | 42% |
| Haywards Bay | 4.4 km | 0% | 64% |
| Kembla Grange | 5.0 km | 33% | 66% |