Medowie flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Medowie (Port Stephens, NSW) - 42.82 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 schematicMedowie

Constraint readout

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

Flood overlay 39%

≈ council avg (45%) · #26 of 45 mapped council suburbs

Bushfire-prone 79%

≈ council avg (82%) · #29 of 45 mapped council suburbs

Environmental17%

below council avg (35%) · #32 of 45 in council

Heritage sites 0 Noise corridor 28% Aircraft noise (ANEF) 28% Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 36% Mostly Infrastructure Flood 26th most affected of 45 → Bushfire 29th most affected of 45 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Medowie'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 Medowie

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

28%

28% 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 40

Under AS 2021, land at ANEF 30 and above is generally unacceptable for new houses and most noise-sensitive uses. The contour is a forecast, not a measurement at any one house.

Contours held

Defence Airfields ANEF

Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026

Under observed aircraft

74%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

36%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

500 ft

averaging 3,500 ft · ground movements recorded: on or beside an aerodrome

Busiest square

~5 a day

5 a day below 3,000 ft · ±14%
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.

Medowie at a glance

Parcels 4,520 Median lot 827 m² Mapped easements 21 Bus stops 260

How Medowie is zoned

Infrastructure 30%

Large Lot Residential 26%

Rural Landscape 15%

National Parks and Nature Reserves 14%

Low Density Residential 6%

Environmental Conservation 3%

Buying in Medowie? 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 42.82 km², Medowie is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 39% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 79% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Infrastructure. The median lot measures about 827 m² across 4,520 parcels.

Who lives in Medowie

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

Population

10,879

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median household income

$2,044

per week, Port Stephens suburb typical $1,421

Median rent

$430

per week, Port Stephens suburb typical $365

Median mortgage

$1,950

per month

Household size

2.9

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 6

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1000, and decile 6 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 7

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Medowie's 10,879 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 6.8%

5-14 16.3%

15-19 6.6%

20-24 5.4%

25-34 11.3%

35-44 13.4%

45-54 13.7%

55-64 12.1%

65-74 9.3%

75-84 4.4%

85+ 0.8%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

10,830 in 2001 to 17,178 in 2025, up 59%.

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.

Medowie 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 Medowie 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 Medowie. 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 Medowie lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Medowie planning - frequently asked

Is Medowie flood-prone?

About 39% of Medowie falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 45%.

Is Medowie bushfire-prone?

Around 79% of Medowie is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Port Stephens average of 82%.

Is Medowie affected by aircraft noise?

About 28% of Medowie sits inside a published aircraft noise contour, and the highest contour present is ANEF 40 - 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 Medowie under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 36% of Medowie, and over about 74% 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 3,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 5 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 Medowie?

The dominant planning zone in Medowie is Infrastructure, though the suburb also includes Large Lot Residential and Rural Landscape.

Does Medowie have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within Medowie.

What is the typical lot size in Medowie?

Across 4,520 surveyed parcels in Medowie, the median lot size is about 827 m². There are also 21 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Medowie have a train station?

There is no train station inside Medowie itself. The suburb is served by 260 bus stops.

What is the population of Medowie?

At the 2021 Census Medowie had 10,879 usual residents, with a median age of 37 and an average household size of 2.9 people. The wider Williamtown - Medowie - Karuah statistical area, which contains Medowie, went from 10,830 people in 2001 to 17,178 in 2025, up 59%.

Is Medowie an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Medowie scores 1000 and sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally and decile 6 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Medowie?

Median household income in Medowie was $2,044 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,421 for the typical suburb in Port Stephens. Median rent was $430 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,950 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Campvale	5.2 km	28%	99%
Oyster Cove	5.6 km	55%	99%
Salt Ash	6.6 km	50%	84%
Swan Bay	7.1 km	51%	99%
Ferodale	7.2 km	50%	74%
Tanilba Bay	8.6 km	65%	86%
Tilligerry Creek	8.7 km	100%	28%
Williamtown	9.4 km	48%	88%
Kings Hill	11.1 km	13%	99%
Bobs Farm	11.3 km	36%	79%

See all Port Stephens suburb profiles →