Merriwa flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Merriwa
(Upper Hunter, NSW) - 1908.96 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
1908.96 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Merriwa's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Merriwa
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
Night movements: not established - night is sampled as often as day, but too few night flights have been seen here to conclude either way.
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.
Merriwa at a glance
How Merriwa is zoned
Buying in Merriwa? 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 1908.96 km², Merriwa is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 29 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 158,556 m² across 3,699 parcels.
Who lives in Merriwa
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Merriwa 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 901, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Merriwa's 1,825 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Scone Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Merriwa. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Merriwa itself.
8,042 in 2001 to 8,425 in 2025, up 5%.
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.
Merriwa 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 Merriwa 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.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Merriwa lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Merriwa planning - frequently asked
Is Merriwa flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Merriwa and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay.
Is Merriwa bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Merriwa is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Upper Hunter average of 99%.
Is Merriwa under a flight path?
No aircraft were observed over Merriwa in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). Sampling is intermittent, so that is a floor rather than proof that none fly over. 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 Merriwa?
The dominant planning zone in Merriwa is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Large Lot Residential.
Does Merriwa have heritage-listed places?
Merriwa has 29 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Merriwa?
Across 3,699 surveyed parcels in Merriwa, the median lot size is about 158,556 m². There are also 26 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Merriwa have a train station?
There is no train station inside Merriwa itself. The suburb is served by 125 bus stops.
What is the population of Merriwa?
At the 2021 Census Merriwa had 1,825 usual residents, with a median age of 45 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Scone Surrounds statistical area, which contains Merriwa, went from 8,042 people in 2001 to 8,425 in 2025, up 5%.
Is Merriwa an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Merriwa scores 901 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Merriwa?
Median household income in Merriwa was $1,208 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,531 for the typical suburb in Upper Hunter. Median rent was $245 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,235 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gungal | 22.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Giants Creek Muswellbrook |
25.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Bunnan | 27.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Murrumbo Mid-Western Regional |
30.0 km | 0% | 100% |
| Mogo Mid-Western Regional |
30.1 km | 0% | 100% |
| Kars Springs | 31.0 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Cassilis | 31.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Manobalai Muswellbrook |
33.0 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Bylong Mid-Western Regional |
35.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Brawboy | 35.6 km | Not mapped | 100% |