Waterfall flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Waterfall
(Sutherland Shire, NSW) - 2.35 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
2.35 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Waterfall'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 Waterfall
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 1 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 2,000 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.
Waterfall at a glance
How Waterfall is zoned
Buying in Waterfall? 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 2.35 km², Waterfall is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 98% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 6 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 872 m² across 268 parcels.
Who lives in Waterfall
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Waterfall 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 1031, and decile 7 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Waterfall's 522 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Heathcote - Waterfall, the wider ABS statistical area containing Waterfall. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Waterfall itself.
6,691 in 2001 to 6,720 in 2025, up 0%.
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.
Waterfall 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 Waterfall 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 67% of Waterfall. 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 Waterfall lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Waterfall planning - frequently asked
Is Waterfall flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Waterfall and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 22%).
Is Waterfall bushfire-prone?
Around 98% of Waterfall is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Sutherland Shire average of 46%.
Is Waterfall under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 67% of Waterfall, and over about 99% 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 500 ft, with an average of 5,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 5 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 Waterfall?
The dominant planning zone in Waterfall is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Infrastructure and Public Recreation.
Does Waterfall have heritage-listed places?
Waterfall has 6 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Waterfall?
Across 268 surveyed parcels in Waterfall, the median lot size is about 872 m². There are also 6 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Waterfall have a train station?
Yes - Waterfall has 1 train station: Waterfall Station. It is also served by 8 bus stops.
What is the population of Waterfall?
At the 2021 Census Waterfall had 522 usual residents, with a median age of 41 and an average household size of 3.0 people. The wider Heathcote - Waterfall statistical area, which contains Waterfall, went from 6,691 people in 2001 to 6,720 in 2025, up 0%.
Is Waterfall an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Waterfall scores 1031 and sits in decile 8 of 10 nationally and decile 7 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Waterfall?
Median household income in Waterfall was $2,232 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,626 for the typical suburb in Sutherland Shire. Median rent was $515 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,383 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Uloola | 2.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Heathcote | 2.7 km | 0% | 95% |
| Woronora Dam Wollongong |
5.6 km | 0% | 99% |
| Goarra | 6.0 km | 0% | 100% |
| Palona | 6.2 km | 0% | 100% |
| Lilyvale Wollongong |
6.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Helensburgh Wollongong |
6.5 km | 0% | 92% |
| Engadine | 7.5 km | <1% | 64% |
| Holsworthy Campbelltown |
8.3 km | <1% | 98% |
| Yarrawarrah | 8.7 km | 0% | 69% |