Pelton flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Pelton (Cessnock, NSW) - 12.28 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Pelton'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 Pelton

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.

Pelton at a glance

Parcels 88 Median lot 837 m² Bus stops 9

How Pelton is zoned

Rural Landscape 57%
National Parks and Nature Reserves 40%
Infrastructure 3%
Large Lot Residential 0%
Low Density Residential 0%

Buying in Pelton? 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 12.28 km², Pelton is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 11% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 98% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 4 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 837 m² across 88 parcels.

Who lives in Pelton

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

Population
82
usual residents, 2021
Median age
34
years
Median household income
$1,562
per week, Cessnock suburb typical $1,929
Median rent
$310
per week, Cessnock suburb typical $346
Median mortgage
$1,408
per month
Household size
2.5
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 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 909, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Pelton's 82 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 9.2%
5-14 13.8%
15-19 8.0%
20-24 9.2%
25-34 14.9%
35-44 9.2%
45-54 6.9%
55-64 8.0%
65-74 13.8%
75-84 6.9%
85+ 0.0%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

6,288 in 2001 to 9,974 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.

Pelton data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
ZoningMappedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldNSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian 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 Pelton 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 3% of Pelton. 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 Pelton lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Pelton planning - frequently asked

Is Pelton flood-prone?

About 11% of Pelton falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 17%.

Is Pelton bushfire-prone?

Around 98% of Pelton is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Cessnock average of 91%.

Is Pelton under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 3% of Pelton, and over about 83% 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 2,000 ft, with an average of 4,500 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 Pelton?

The dominant planning zone in Pelton is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Infrastructure.

Does Pelton have heritage-listed places?

Pelton has 4 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Pelton?

Across 88 surveyed parcels in Pelton, the median lot size is about 837 m².

Does Pelton have a train station?

There is no train station inside Pelton itself. The suburb is served by 9 bus stops.

What is the population of Pelton?

At the 2021 Census Pelton had 82 usual residents, with a median age of 34 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Cessnock Surrounds statistical area, which contains Pelton, went from 6,288 people in 2001 to 9,974 in 2025, up 59%.

Is Pelton an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Pelton scores 909 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Pelton?

Median household income in Pelton was $1,562 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 $1,408 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Bellbird 2.9 km 21% 79%
Kitchener 3.7 km 13% 98%
Greta Main 3.7 km 24% 100%
Bellbird Heights 3.7 km 13% 47%
Paxton 4.0 km 28% 92%
Ellalong 5.4 km 16% 98%
Cessnock 6.4 km 29% 73%
Mount View 6.6 km 5% 96%
Aberdare 6.6 km 9% 60%
Millfield 6.9 km 18% 96%

See all Cessnock suburb profiles →