Pelaw Main flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Pelaw Main
(Cessnock, NSW) - 9.24 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 2 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
9.24 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Pelaw Main'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 Pelaw Main
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 26 Sep 2026
typical observed square 1 a day
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.
Pelaw Main at a glance
How Pelaw Main is zoned
Buying in Pelaw Main? 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 9.24 km², Pelaw Main is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 13% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 95% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 6 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is General Industrial. The median lot measures about 1,012 m² across 479 parcels.
Who lives in Pelaw Main
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Pelaw Main 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 852, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Pelaw Main's 1,080 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Kurri Kurri - Abermain, the wider ABS statistical area containing Pelaw Main. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Pelaw Main itself.
15,222 in 2001 to 23,407 in 2025, up 54%.
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.
Pelaw Main 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 2 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 Pelaw Main 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 84% of Pelaw Main. 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 Pelaw Main lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Pelaw Main planning - frequently asked
Is Pelaw Main flood-prone?
About 13% of Pelaw Main falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 17%.
Is Pelaw Main bushfire-prone?
Around 95% of Pelaw Main is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Cessnock average of 91%.
Is Pelaw Main under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 84% of Pelaw Main, and over about 96% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 26 Sep 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 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 Pelaw Main?
The dominant planning zone in Pelaw Main is General Industrial, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Rural Landscape.
Does Pelaw Main have heritage-listed places?
Pelaw Main has 6 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Pelaw Main?
Across 479 surveyed parcels in Pelaw Main, the median lot size is about 1,012 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Pelaw Main have a train station?
There is no train station inside Pelaw Main itself. The suburb is served by 18 bus stops.
What is the population of Pelaw Main?
At the 2021 Census Pelaw Main had 1,080 usual residents, with a median age of 39 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Kurri Kurri - Abermain statistical area, which contains Pelaw Main, went from 15,222 people in 2001 to 23,407 in 2025, up 54%.
Is Pelaw Main an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Pelaw Main scores 852 and sits in decile 1 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 Pelaw Main?
Median household income in Pelaw Main was $1,174 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,929 for the typical suburb in Cessnock. Median rent was $310 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,447 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanford Merthyr | 2.0 km | 11% | 80% |
| Kurri Kurri | 2.6 km | 20% | 31% |
| Richmond Vale | 3.6 km | 18% | 100% |
| Weston | 3.7 km | 23% | 75% |
| Heddon Greta | 4.3 km | 18% | 60% |
| Abermain | 4.4 km | 17% | 94% |
| Buchanan | 4.7 km | 30% | 96% |
| Loxford | 4.8 km | 30% | 93% |
| Elrington | 5.5 km | 12% | 100% |
| Neath | 6.3 km | 20% | 99% |