Scarborough flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Scarborough
(Wollongong, NSW) - 1.33 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
1.33 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Scarborough'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 Scarborough
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: observed, lowest 1,500 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.
Scarborough at a glance
How Scarborough is zoned
Buying in Scarborough? 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 1.33 km², Scarborough is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 91% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 12 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 520 m² across 179 parcels.
Who lives in Scarborough
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Scarborough 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 1129, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Scarborough's 325 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff, the wider ABS statistical area containing Scarborough. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Scarborough itself.
10,592 in 2001 to 12,148 in 2025, up 15%.
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.
Scarborough 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 Scarborough 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 100% of Scarborough. 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 Scarborough lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Scarborough planning - frequently asked
Is Scarborough flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Scarborough and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 12%).
Is Scarborough bushfire-prone?
Around 91% of Scarborough is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%.
Is Scarborough under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Scarborough, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 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 Scarborough?
The dominant planning zone in Scarborough is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes Environmental Management and Public Recreation.
Does Scarborough have heritage-listed places?
Scarborough has 12 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Scarborough?
Across 179 surveyed parcels in Scarborough, the median lot size is about 520 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Scarborough have a train station?
Yes - Scarborough has 1 train station: Scarborough Station. It is also served by 12 bus stops.
What is the population of Scarborough?
At the 2021 Census Scarborough had 325 usual residents, with a median age of 41 and an average household size of 3.1 people. The wider Thirroul - Austinmer - Coalcliff statistical area, which contains Scarborough, went from 10,592 people in 2001 to 12,148 in 2025, up 15%.
Is Scarborough an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Scarborough scores 1129 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Scarborough?
Median household income in Scarborough was $2,571 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,912 for the typical suburb in Wollongong. Median rent was $575 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,500 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wombarra | 1.3 km | 0% | 76% |
| Clifton | 1.4 km | 0% | 96% |
| Maddens Plains | 2.0 km | 0% | 99% |
| Coalcliff | 2.7 km | 0% | 96% |
| Coledale | 2.8 km | 0% | 71% |
| Stanwell Park | 4.7 km | 0% | 87% |
| Austinmer | 4.8 km | 0% | 73% |
| Stanwell Tops | 5.6 km | 0% | 100% |
| Darkes Forest | 6.5 km | 0% | 98% |
| Thirroul | 6.7 km | 0% | 52% |