Thornton flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Thornton
(Maitland, NSW) - 16.63 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
16.63 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Thornton'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 Thornton
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
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.
Thornton at a glance
How Thornton is zoned
Buying in Thornton? 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 16.63 km², Thornton is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 23% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 70% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is General Residential. The median lot measures about 646 m² across 4,345 parcels.
Who lives in Thornton
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Thornton 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 975, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Thornton's 10,690 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Thornton - Millers Forest, the wider ABS statistical area containing Thornton. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Thornton itself.
6,809 in 2001 to 19,925 in 2025, up 193%.
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.
Thornton 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 Thornton 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 21% of Thornton. 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 Thornton lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Thornton planning - frequently asked
Is Thornton flood-prone?
About 23% of Thornton falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 50%.
Is Thornton bushfire-prone?
Around 70% of Thornton is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Maitland average of 80%.
Is Thornton under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 21% of Thornton, and over about 48% 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. 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 Thornton?
The dominant planning zone in Thornton is General Residential, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Environmental Management.
Does Thornton have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Thornton.
What is the typical lot size in Thornton?
Across 4,345 surveyed parcels in Thornton, the median lot size is about 646 m². There are also 9 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Thornton have a train station?
Yes - Thornton has 1 train station: Thornton Station. It is also served by 135 bus stops.
What is the population of Thornton?
At the 2021 Census Thornton had 10,690 usual residents, with a median age of 32 and an average household size of 2.8 people. The wider Thornton - Millers Forest statistical area, which contains Thornton, went from 6,809 people in 2001 to 19,925 in 2025, up 193%.
Is Thornton an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Thornton scores 975 and sits in decile 5 of 10 nationally and decile 4 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Thornton?
Median household income in Thornton was $2,051 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,015 for the typical suburb in Maitland. Median rent was $400 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,800 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beresfield Newcastle |
2.0 km | 24% | 38% |
| Woodberry | 3.3 km | 82% | 81% |
| Metford | 3.5 km | 0% | 41% |
| Chisholm | 3.6 km | 20% | 43% |
| Ashtonfield | 3.8 km | Not mapped | 75% |
| Black Hill Cessnock |
4.3 km | 22% | 94% |
| Tarro Newcastle |
4.4 km | 86% | 58% |
| Berry Park | 5.2 km | 75% | 95% |
| Tenambit | 5.2 km | 26% | 34% |
| East Maitland | 5.9 km | 27% | 55% |