Russell Vale flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Russell Vale
(Wollongong, NSW) - 2.15 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
2.15 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Russell Vale'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 Russell Vale
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.
Russell Vale at a glance
How Russell Vale is zoned
Buying in Russell Vale? 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 2.15 km², Russell Vale is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 11% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 39% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 5 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Public Recreation. The median lot measures about 678 m² across 595 parcels.
Who lives in Russell Vale
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Russell Vale 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 986, and decile 5 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Russell Vale's 1,593 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Woonona - Bulli - Russell Vale, the wider ABS statistical area containing Russell Vale. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Russell Vale itself.
17,234 in 2001 to 20,974 in 2025, up 22%.
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.
Russell Vale 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 Russell Vale 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 34% of Russell Vale. 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 Russell Vale lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Russell Vale planning - frequently asked
Is Russell Vale flood-prone?
About 11% of Russell Vale falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 12%.
Is Russell Vale bushfire-prone?
Around 39% of Russell Vale is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%.
Is Russell Vale under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 34% of Russell Vale, and over about 73% 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 1,500 ft, with an average of 4,000 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 Russell Vale?
The dominant planning zone in Russell Vale is Public Recreation, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Environmental Management.
Does Russell Vale have heritage-listed places?
Russell Vale has 5 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Russell Vale?
Across 595 surveyed parcels in Russell Vale, the median lot size is about 678 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Russell Vale have a train station?
There is no train station inside Russell Vale itself. The suburb is served by 8 bus stops.
What is the population of Russell Vale?
At the 2021 Census Russell Vale had 1,593 usual residents, with a median age of 39 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Woonona - Bulli - Russell Vale statistical area, which contains Russell Vale, went from 17,234 people in 2001 to 20,974 in 2025, up 22%.
Is Russell Vale an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Russell Vale scores 986 and sits in decile 5 of 10 nationally and decile 5 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Russell Vale?
Median household income in Russell Vale was $1,715 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,912 for the typical suburb in Wollongong. Median rent was $400 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,167 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Woonona | 1.3 km | 15% | 41% |
| Corrimal | 1.7 km | 14% | 39% |
| Tarrawanna | 2.8 km | 8% | 71% |
| Bellambi | 3.1 km | 22% | 21% |
| East Corrimal | 3.2 km | 28% | 19% |
| Bulli | 3.2 km | 5% | 64% |
| Fernhill | 3.3 km | 8% | <1% |
| Towradgi | 3.5 km | 27% | 1% |
| Balgownie | 4.0 km | 22% | 51% |
| Fairy Meadow | 4.7 km | 50% | 1% |