Seaham flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Seaham
(Port Stephens, NSW) - 42.6 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
42.6 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Seaham'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 Seaham
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 3 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 3,000 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.
Seaham at a glance
How Seaham is zoned
Buying in Seaham? 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 42.6 km², Seaham is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 48% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 97% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 9 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 5,722 m² across 521 parcels.
Who lives in Seaham
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Seaham 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 1013, and decile 6 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Seaham's 1,011 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Seaham - Woodville, the wider ABS statistical area containing Seaham. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Seaham itself.
4,443 in 2001 to 5,899 in 2025, up 33%.
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.
Seaham 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 Seaham 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 17% of Seaham. 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 Seaham lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Seaham planning - frequently asked
Is Seaham flood-prone?
About 48% of Seaham falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 45%.
Is Seaham bushfire-prone?
Around 97% of Seaham is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Port Stephens average of 82%.
Is Seaham under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 17% of Seaham, and over about 49% 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 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 22 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 Seaham?
The dominant planning zone in Seaham is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Environmental Management.
Does Seaham have heritage-listed places?
Seaham has 9 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Seaham?
Across 521 surveyed parcels in Seaham, the median lot size is about 5,722 m². There are also 5 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Seaham have a train station?
There is no train station inside Seaham itself. The suburb is served by 21 bus stops.
What is the population of Seaham?
At the 2021 Census Seaham had 1,011 usual residents, with a median age of 41 and an average household size of 3.1 people. The wider Seaham - Woodville statistical area, which contains Seaham, went from 4,443 people in 2001 to 5,899 in 2025, up 33%.
Is Seaham an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Seaham scores 1013 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 6 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Seaham?
Median household income in Seaham was $2,312 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,421 for the typical suburb in Port Stephens. Median rent was $360 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,149 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brandy Hill | 2.1 km | 39% | 100% |
| Butterwick | 5.5 km | 29% | 100% |
| Osterley | 5.9 km | 55% | 99% |
| Wallalong | 6.2 km | 64% | 87% |
| Hinton | 6.5 km | 84% | 92% |
| East Seaham | 6.9 km | 41% | 99% |
| Nelsons Plains | 6.9 km | 71% | 98% |
| Glen Oak | 7.7 km | 18% | 100% |
| Eagleton | 7.8 km | 32% | 100% |
| Duckenfield Maitland |
7.9 km | 45% | 99% |