Sylvania Waters flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Sylvania Waters
(Sutherland Shire, NSW) - 1.38 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
1.38 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Sylvania Waters'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 Sylvania Waters
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 26 Sep 2026
typical observed square 5 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 1,000 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.
Sylvania Waters at a glance
How Sylvania Waters is zoned
Buying in Sylvania Waters? 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 1.38 km², Sylvania Waters is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 62% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 2 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 634 m² across 986 parcels.
Who lives in Sylvania Waters
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Sylvania Waters 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 1093, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Sylvania Waters's 3,200 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Sylvania - Taren Point, the wider ABS statistical area containing Sylvania Waters. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Sylvania Waters itself.
14,705 in 2001 to 16,620 in 2025, up 13%.
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.
Sylvania Waters 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 26 September 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 Sylvania Waters 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 56% of Sylvania Waters. 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 Sylvania Waters lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Sylvania Waters planning - frequently asked
Is Sylvania Waters flood-prone?
About 62% of Sylvania Waters falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 22%.
Is Sylvania Waters bushfire-prone?
Bushfire mapping covers Sylvania Waters and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone (the Sutherland Shire average is 46%).
Is Sylvania Waters under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 56% of Sylvania Waters, and over about 100% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 26 Sep 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 11 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 Sylvania Waters?
The dominant planning zone in Sylvania Waters is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Recreational Waterways and Public Recreation.
Does Sylvania Waters have heritage-listed places?
Sylvania Waters has 2 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Sylvania Waters?
Across 986 surveyed parcels in Sylvania Waters, the median lot size is about 634 m². There are also 4 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Sylvania Waters have a train station?
There is no train station inside Sylvania Waters itself. The suburb is served by 32 bus stops.
What is the population of Sylvania Waters?
At the 2021 Census Sylvania Waters had 3,200 usual residents, with a median age of 43 and an average household size of 2.9 people. The wider Sylvania - Taren Point statistical area, which contains Sylvania Waters, went from 14,705 people in 2001 to 16,620 in 2025, up 13%.
Is Sylvania Waters an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Sylvania Waters scores 1093 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 Sylvania Waters?
Median household income in Sylvania Waters was $2,371 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,626 for the typical suburb in Sutherland Shire. Median rent was $600 a week and the median mortgage repayment $3,000 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sylvania | 1.4 km | 32% | 0% |
| Taren Point | 1.5 km | 75% | 0% |
| Miranda | 1.7 km | 16% | <1% |
| Caringbah | 2.3 km | 33% | 0% |
| Kangaroo Point | 2.4 km | 70% | 0% |
| Kareela | 2.8 km | 8% | 12% |
| Sans Souci Georges River |
3.0 km | 16% | 0% |
| Gymea | 3.0 km | 11% | 1% |
| Oyster Bay | 3.1 km | 34% | 11% |
| Blakehurst Georges River |
3.2 km | 2% | 5% |