Maddens Plains flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Maddens Plains
(Wollongong, NSW) - 15.95 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
15.95 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Maddens Plains'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 Maddens Plains
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 1,500 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.
Maddens Plains at a glance
How Maddens Plains is zoned
Buying in Maddens Plains? 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 15.95 km², Maddens Plains is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 99% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 2 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 21,995 m² across 90 parcels.
Who lives in Maddens Plains
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Maddens Plains 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 1061, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Helensburgh, the wider ABS statistical area containing Maddens Plains. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Maddens Plains itself.
8,118 in 2001 to 9,174 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.
Maddens Plains 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 Maddens Plains 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 66% of Maddens Plains. 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 Maddens Plains lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Maddens Plains planning - frequently asked
Is Maddens Plains flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Maddens Plains and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 12%).
Is Maddens Plains bushfire-prone?
Around 99% of Maddens Plains is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%.
Is Maddens Plains under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 66% of Maddens Plains, and over about 87% 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 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 Maddens Plains?
The dominant planning zone in Maddens Plains is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Infrastructure.
Does Maddens Plains have heritage-listed places?
Maddens Plains has 2 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Maddens Plains?
Across 90 surveyed parcels in Maddens Plains, the median lot size is about 21,995 m². There are also 11 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Maddens Plains have a train station?
There is no train station inside Maddens Plains itself. The suburb is served by 2 bus stops.
Is Maddens Plains an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Maddens Plains scores 1061 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wombarra | 1.5 km | 0% | 76% |
| Scarborough | 2.0 km | 0% | 91% |
| Coledale | 2.2 km | 0% | 71% |
| Clifton | 3.1 km | 0% | 96% |
| Austinmer | 3.8 km | 0% | 73% |
| Coalcliff | 4.0 km | 0% | 96% |
| Thirroul | 5.5 km | 0% | 52% |
| Stanwell Park | 5.8 km | 0% | 87% |
| Darkes Forest | 5.9 km | 0% | 98% |
| Stanwell Tops | 6.5 km | 0% | 100% |