Wallsend flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Wallsend
(Newcastle, NSW) - 13.49 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
13.49 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Wallsend'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 Wallsend
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 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.
Wallsend at a glance
How Wallsend is zoned
Buying in Wallsend? 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 13.49 km², Wallsend is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 12% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 54% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 33 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 603 m² across 5,023 parcels.
Who lives in Wallsend
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Wallsend 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 943, and decile 3 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Wallsend's 13,244 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Wallsend - Elermore Vale, the wider ABS statistical area containing Wallsend. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Wallsend itself.
18,873 in 2001 to 21,955 in 2025, up 16%.
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.
Wallsend 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 Wallsend 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 74% of Wallsend. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Published flood models are held over parts of Wallsend. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$9 with the planning report.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Wallsend lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Wallsend planning - frequently asked
Is Wallsend flood-prone?
About 12% of Wallsend falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 39%. Published flood models are held over parts of Wallsend; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Wallsend bushfire-prone?
Around 54% of Wallsend is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Newcastle average of 24%.
Is Wallsend under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 74% of Wallsend, and over about 85% 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 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 Wallsend?
The dominant planning zone in Wallsend is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Environmental Living and Infrastructure.
Does Wallsend have heritage-listed places?
Wallsend has 33 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Wallsend?
Across 5,023 surveyed parcels in Wallsend, the median lot size is about 603 m². There are also 24 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Wallsend have a train station?
There is no train station inside Wallsend itself. The suburb is served by 212 bus stops.
What is the population of Wallsend?
At the 2021 Census Wallsend had 13,244 usual residents, with a median age of 39 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Wallsend - Elermore Vale statistical area, which contains Wallsend, went from 18,873 people in 2001 to 21,955 in 2025, up 16%.
Is Wallsend an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Wallsend scores 943 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 3 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Wallsend?
Median household income in Wallsend was $1,401 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,818 for the typical suburb in Newcastle. Median rent was $375 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,733 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Maryland | 2.0 km | 28% | 33% |
| Elermore Vale | 2.1 km | 3% | 59% |
| Birmingham Gardens | 2.6 km | 16% | 2% |
| Jesmond | 2.9 km | 24% | 7% |
| Rankin Park | 3.4 km | 2% | 54% |
| Glendale Lake Macquarie |
3.5 km | Not mapped | 53% |
| Cardiff Heights Lake Macquarie |
3.7 km | Not mapped | 68% |
| Callaghan | 3.7 km | 4% | 55% |
| Fletcher | 3.8 km | 34% | 80% |
| Edgeworth Lake Macquarie |
3.8 km | Not mapped | 56% |