Oswald flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Oswald
(Maitland, NSW) - 2.76 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
2.76 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Oswald'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 Oswald
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: observed, lowest 2,500 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.
Oswald at a glance
How Oswald is zoned
Buying in Oswald? 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 2.76 km², Oswald is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 51% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 40,234 m² across 28 parcels.
Who lives in Oswald
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Oswald 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 1008, and decile 6 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Oswald's 88 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Branxton - Greta - Pokolbin, the wider ABS statistical area containing Oswald. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Oswald itself.
7,490 in 2001 to 16,413 in 2025, up 119%.
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.
Oswald 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 Oswald 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 33% of Oswald. 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 Oswald lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Oswald planning - frequently asked
Is Oswald flood-prone?
About 51% of Oswald falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 50%.
Is Oswald bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Oswald is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Maitland average of 80%.
Is Oswald under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 33% of Oswald, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 2,000 ft, with an average of 2,500 ft. 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 Oswald?
The dominant planning zone in Oswald is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Recreational Waterways.
Does Oswald have heritage-listed places?
Oswald has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Oswald?
Across 28 surveyed parcels in Oswald, the median lot size is about 40,234 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Oswald have a train station?
There is no train station inside Oswald itself. The suburb is served by 4 bus stops.
What is the population of Oswald?
At the 2021 Census Oswald had 88 usual residents, with a median age of 44 and an average household size of 2.8 people. The wider Branxton - Greta - Pokolbin statistical area, which contains Oswald, went from 7,490 people in 2001 to 16,413 in 2025, up 119%.
Is Oswald an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Oswald scores 1008 and sits in decile 7 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 Oswald?
Median household income in Oswald was $2,125 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,015 for the typical suburb in Maitland. Median rent was $350 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,734 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Harpers Hill | 1.1 km | 5% | 100% |
| Allandale Cessnock |
3.2 km | 7% | 100% |
| Greta Cessnock |
3.3 km | 15% | 89% |
| Luskintyre | 3.7 km | 42% | 99% |
| Lochinvar | 3.8 km | 7% | 87% |
| Windermere | 4.1 km | 42% | 99% |
| Windella | 5.5 km | <1% | 58% |
| Leconfield Singleton |
6.2 km | 0% | 92% |
| Keinbah Cessnock |
6.5 km | 11% | 94% |
| East Branxton Cessnock |
6.9 km | 41% | 20% |