Marlow flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Marlow
(Central Coast, NSW) - 1.48 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
1.48 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Marlow'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 Marlow
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 2 Oct 2026
typical observed square 2 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 4,500 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.
Marlow at a glance
How Marlow is zoned
Buying in Marlow? 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 1.48 km², Marlow is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 46% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 83% 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 950 m² across 48 parcels.
Who lives in Marlow
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Marlow 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 991, and decile 5 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Calga - Kulnura, the wider ABS statistical area containing Marlow. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Marlow itself.
4,793 in 2001 to 4,678 in 2025, down 2%.
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.
Marlow 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 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 Marlow 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 70% of Marlow. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Published flood models are held over parts of Marlow. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$9 with the planning report.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Marlow lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Marlow planning - frequently asked
Is Marlow flood-prone?
About 46% of Marlow falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 30%. Published flood models are held over parts of Marlow; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Marlow bushfire-prone?
Around 83% of Marlow is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Central Coast average of 69%.
Is Marlow under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 70% of Marlow, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 2,500 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 Marlow?
The dominant planning zone in Marlow is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes Recreational Waterways and National Parks and Nature Reserves.
Does Marlow have heritage-listed places?
Marlow has 2 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Marlow?
Across 48 surveyed parcels in Marlow, the median lot size is about 950 m².
Is Marlow an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Marlow scores 991 and sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally and decile 5 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wendoree Park | 1.4 km | 28% | 80% |
| Mount White | 3.1 km | 5% | 95% |
| Bar Point | 3.6 km | 33% | 74% |
| Spencer | 4.3 km | 19% | 87% |
| Mooney Mooney Creek | 4.9 km | 20% | 93% |
| Milsons Passage Hornsby |
5.3 km | 77% | 44% |
| Cheero Point | 5.5 km | 6% | 94% |
| Glenworth Valley | 6.6 km | 12% | 94% |
| Mooney Mooney | 7.5 km | 80% | 31% |
| Wondabyne | 7.6 km | 16% | 90% |