Lovedale flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Lovedale (Cessnock, NSW) - 43.82 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.

Planning schematicLovedale

Constraint readout

43.82 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.

Flood overlay 26%

1.5× council avg (17%) · #11 of 56 mapped council suburbs

Bushfire-prone 94%

≈ council avg (91%) · #40 of 56 mapped council suburbs

Environmental14%

≈ council avg (18%) · #24 of 56 in council

Heritage sites 9 Noise corridor <1% Aircraft noise (ANEF) <1% Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 12% Mostly Primary Production Small Lots Flood 11th most affected of 56 → Bushfire 40th most affected of 56 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Lovedale'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 Lovedale

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

<1%

<1% 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

ANEF 20

Under AS 2021, land between ANEF 20 and 25 is conditionally acceptable for houses, usually with noise attenuation built in. The contour is a forecast, not a measurement at any one house.

Contours held

NSW planning (EPI) airport noise

Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026

Under observed aircraft

54%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

12%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

1,500 ft

averaging 4,000 ft

Busiest square

~1 a day

±24% · area average
typical observed square 1 a day

Night movements: observed, lowest 2,500 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.

Lovedale at a glance

Parcels 274 Median lot 101,094 m² Mapped easements 9 Bus stops 27

How Lovedale is zoned

Primary Production Small Lots 63%

Rural Landscape 18%

National Parks and Nature Reserves 14%

Tourist 6%

Infrastructure 0%

Buying in Lovedale? 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 43.82 km², Lovedale is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 26% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 94% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 9 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production Small Lots. The median lot measures about 101,094 m² across 274 parcels.

Who lives in Lovedale

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Lovedale suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population

502

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median household income

$2,162

per week, Cessnock suburb typical $1,929

Median rent

$340

per week, Cessnock suburb typical $346

Median mortgage

$2,498

per month

Household size

2.7

people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 9

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1051, and decile 8 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 9

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Lovedale's 502 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 5.6%

5-14 11.3%

15-19 3.9%

20-24 5.2%

25-34 9.1%

35-44 9.5%

45-54 14.0%

55-64 16.9%

65-74 17.1%

75-84 5.4%

85+ 1.9%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Branxton - Greta - Pokolbin, the wider ABS statistical area containing Lovedale. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Lovedale itself.

7,490 in 2001 to 16,413 in 2025, up 119%.

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.

Lovedale 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 Lovedale 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 12% of Lovedale. 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 Lovedale lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Lovedale planning - frequently asked

Is Lovedale flood-prone?

About 26% of Lovedale falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 17%.

Is Lovedale bushfire-prone?

Around 94% of Lovedale is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Cessnock average of 91%.

Is Lovedale affected by aircraft noise?

About <1% of Lovedale sits inside a published aircraft noise contour, and the highest contour present is ANEF 20 - under AS 2021, land between ANEF 20 and 25 is conditionally acceptable for houses, usually with noise attenuation in the build. 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 Lovedale under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 12% of Lovedale, and over about 54% 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 1,500 ft, with an average of 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 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 Lovedale?

The dominant planning zone in Lovedale is Primary Production Small Lots, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and National Parks and Nature Reserves.

Does Lovedale have heritage-listed places?

Lovedale has 9 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Lovedale?

Across 274 surveyed parcels in Lovedale, the median lot size is about 101,094 m². There are also 9 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Lovedale have a train station?

There is no train station inside Lovedale itself. The suburb is served by 27 bus stops.

What is the population of Lovedale?

At the 2021 Census Lovedale had 502 usual residents, with a median age of 50 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Branxton - Greta - Pokolbin statistical area, which contains Lovedale, went from 7,490 people in 2001 to 16,413 in 2025, up 119%.

Is Lovedale an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Lovedale scores 1051 and sits in decile 9 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 Lovedale?

Median household income in Lovedale was $2,162 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,929 for the typical suburb in Cessnock. Median rent was $340 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,498 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Keinbah	4.5 km	11%	94%
Nulkaba	4.6 km	31%	93%
Allandale	5.9 km	7%	100%
Rothbury	6.1 km	34%	99%
Cessnock	7.9 km	29%	73%
Greta	8.0 km	15%	89%
Harpers Hill Maitland	8.0 km	5%	100%
North Rothbury	8.1 km	10%	84%
Neath	8.2 km	20%	99%
Pokolbin	8.4 km	14%	86%

See all Cessnock suburb profiles →