Port Kembla flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Port Kembla
(Wollongong, NSW) - 15.83 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
15.83 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Port Kembla'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 Port Kembla
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: 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.
Port Kembla at a glance
How Port Kembla is zoned
Buying in Port Kembla? 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 15.83 km², Port Kembla is moderately constrained by planning overlays. About 4% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 12% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 22 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Heavy Industrial. The median lot measures about 627 m² across 2,359 parcels.
Who lives in Port Kembla
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Port Kembla 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 933, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Port Kembla's 5,088 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Port Kembla Industrial, the wider ABS statistical area containing Port Kembla. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Port Kembla itself.
30 in 2001 to 7 in 2025, down 77%.
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.
Port Kembla 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 Port Kembla 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 35% of Port Kembla. 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 Port Kembla lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Port Kembla planning - frequently asked
Is Port Kembla flood-prone?
About 4% of Port Kembla falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 12%.
Is Port Kembla bushfire-prone?
Around 12% of Port Kembla is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%.
Is Port Kembla under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 35% of Port Kembla, and over about 91% 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 5,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 2 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 Port Kembla?
The dominant planning zone in Port Kembla is Heavy Industrial, though the suburb also includes Special Activities and Enterprise.
Does Port Kembla have heritage-listed places?
Port Kembla has 22 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Port Kembla?
Across 2,359 surveyed parcels in Port Kembla, the median lot size is about 627 m². There are also 17 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Port Kembla have a train station?
Yes - Port Kembla has 4 train stations: Cringila Station, Lysaghts Station, Port Kembla North Station, Port Kembla Station. It is also served by 99 bus stops.
What is the population of Port Kembla?
At the 2021 Census Port Kembla had 5,088 usual residents, with a median age of 42 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Port Kembla Industrial statistical area, which contains Port Kembla, went from 30 people in 2001 to 7 in 2025, down 77%.
Is Port Kembla an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Port Kembla scores 933 and sits in decile 3 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 Port Kembla?
Median household income in Port Kembla was $1,308 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,912 for the typical suburb in Wollongong. Median rent was $340 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,950 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Warrawong | 2.1 km | 0% | 2% |
| Cringila | 2.6 km | 0% | 59% |
| Lake Heights | 2.9 km | 0% | 2% |
| Spring Hill | 3.2 km | 10% | 0% |
| Coniston | 3.9 km | 42% | 10% |
| Mount Saint Thomas | 4.1 km | 18% | 15% |
| Primbee | 4.2 km | 0% | 45% |
| Unanderra | 4.6 km | 0% | 17% |
| Mangerton | 4.7 km | 9% | 23% |
| Wollongong | 4.8 km | 35% | <1% |