Oak Flats flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Oak Flats
(Shellharbour, NSW) - 3.74 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is moderately constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
3.74 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Oak Flats'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 Oak Flats
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 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.
Oak Flats at a glance
How Oak Flats is zoned
Buying in Oak Flats? 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 3.74 km², Oak Flats is moderately constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 13% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 8 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 697 m² across 2,760 parcels.
Who lives in Oak Flats
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Oak Flats 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 951, and decile 3 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Oak Flats's 6,840 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Shellharbour - Oak Flats, the wider ABS statistical area containing Oak Flats. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Oak Flats itself.
10,170 in 2001 to 11,007 in 2025, up 8%.
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.
Oak Flats 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 Oak Flats 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 71% of Oak Flats. 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 Oak Flats lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Oak Flats planning - frequently asked
Is Oak Flats flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Oak Flats and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay.
Is Oak Flats bushfire-prone?
Around 13% of Oak Flats is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Shellharbour average of 47%.
Is Oak Flats under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 71% of Oak Flats, and over about 100% 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 1,000 ft, with an average of 3,500 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 Oak Flats?
The dominant planning zone in Oak Flats is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Public Recreation and Infrastructure.
Does Oak Flats have heritage-listed places?
Oak Flats has 8 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Oak Flats?
Across 2,760 surveyed parcels in Oak Flats, the median lot size is about 697 m². There are also 8 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Oak Flats have a train station?
Yes - Oak Flats has 1 train station: Oak Flats Station. It is also served by 94 bus stops.
What is the population of Oak Flats?
At the 2021 Census Oak Flats had 6,840 usual residents, with a median age of 42 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Shellharbour - Oak Flats statistical area, which contains Oak Flats, went from 10,170 people in 2001 to 11,007 in 2025, up 8%.
Is Oak Flats an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Oak Flats scores 951 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 3 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Oak Flats?
Median household income in Oak Flats was $1,488 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,718 for the typical suburb in Shellharbour. Median rent was $440 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,950 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shellharbour City Centre | 1.4 km | Not mapped | 5% |
| Blackbutt | 1.5 km | Not mapped | 57% |
| Mount Warrigal | 2.5 km | 0% | 7% |
| Albion Park Rail | 2.8 km | 0% | 34% |
| Haywards Bay Wollongong |
3.1 km | 0% | 64% |
| Flinders | 3.1 km | Not mapped | 16% |
| Barrack Heights | 3.1 km | Not mapped | 12% |
| Croom | 3.6 km | Not mapped | 93% |
| Warilla | 3.8 km | 0% | <1% |
| Shellharbour | 4.0 km | Not mapped | 20% |