Kurnell flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Kurnell
(Sutherland Shire, NSW) - 32.66 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
32.66 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Kurnell's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Amber hatching is the published aircraft noise (ANEF) contour. 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 Kurnell
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.
Inside an aircraft noise contour
42% of the suburb's land sits inside a published ANEF or airport-environs contour. Contours vary street by street, so whether a particular lot is inside one needs a property-level check.
Highest contour present
Under AS 2021, land between ANEF 25 and 30 is generally unacceptable for new houses; 20 to 25 is conditionally acceptable with noise attenuation. The contour is a forecast, not a measurement at any one house.
Contours held
- sydney_airport_anef
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026
typical observed square 15 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 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.
Kurnell at a glance
How Kurnell is zoned
Buying in Kurnell? 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 32.66 km², Kurnell is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 51% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 32% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 33 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Natural Waterways. The median lot measures about 632 m² across 1,089 parcels.
Who lives in Kurnell
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Kurnell 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 1036, and decile 8 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Kurnell's 2,528 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Cronulla - Kurnell - Bundeena, the wider ABS statistical area containing Kurnell. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Kurnell itself.
22,018 in 2001 to 25,614 in 2025, up 16%.
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.
Kurnell 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) | Inside a held contour | 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 Kurnell 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 48% of Kurnell. 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 Kurnell lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Kurnell planning - frequently asked
Is Kurnell flood-prone?
About 51% of Kurnell falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 22%.
Is Kurnell bushfire-prone?
Around 32% of Kurnell is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Sutherland Shire average of 46%.
Is Kurnell affected by aircraft noise?
About 42% of Kurnell sits inside a published aircraft noise contour, and the highest contour present is ANEF 25 - under AS 2021, land above ANEF 25 is generally considered unacceptable for new houses, and 20-25 conditionally acceptable with noise attenuation. ANEF contours are forecasts published per airport and used to control noise-sensitive development; they are not a measurement at any one house, and a property can sit under a flight path and outside every contour.
Is Kurnell under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 48% of Kurnell, and over about 81% 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 1,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 182 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 Kurnell?
The dominant planning zone in Kurnell is Natural Waterways, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Environmental Conservation.
Does Kurnell have heritage-listed places?
Kurnell has 33 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Kurnell?
Across 1,089 surveyed parcels in Kurnell, the median lot size is about 632 m². There are also 21 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Kurnell have a train station?
There is no train station inside Kurnell itself. The suburb is served by 79 bus stops.
What is the population of Kurnell?
At the 2021 Census Kurnell had 2,528 usual residents, with a median age of 38 and an average household size of 3.1 people. The wider Cronulla - Kurnell - Bundeena statistical area, which contains Kurnell, went from 22,018 people in 2001 to 25,614 in 2025, up 16%.
Is Kurnell an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Kurnell scores 1036 and sits in decile 8 of 10 nationally and decile 8 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Kurnell?
Median household income in Kurnell was $2,161 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,626 for the typical suburb in Sutherland Shire. Median rent was $550 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,600 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Greenhills Beach | 2.5 km | <1% | 26% |
| Botany Bay Unincorporated - Botany Bay Area |
4.5 km | <1% | <1% |
| Woolooware | 4.7 km | 49% | 0% |
| Dolls Point Bayside |
4.8 km | 37% | 0% |
| Sandringham Bayside |
4.9 km | 26% | 0% |
| Cronulla | 5.1 km | 35% | 0% |
| Taren Point | 5.3 km | 75% | 0% |
| Ramsgate Beach Bayside |
5.6 km | 0% | 0% |
| Caringbah | 5.7 km | 33% | 0% |
| Sans Souci Georges River |
5.9 km | 16% | 0% |