Watsons Bay zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Watsons Bay
(Woollahra, NSW) - 0.62 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is moderately constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
0.62 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Watsons Bay's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Watsons Bay
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 6 a day
Night movements: not established - night is sampled as often as day, but too few night flights have been seen here to conclude either way.
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.
Watsons Bay at a glance
How Watsons Bay is zoned
Buying in Watsons Bay? 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 0.62 km², Watsons Bay is moderately constrained by the planning overlays we hold. We hold no flood mapping covering this suburb, so no flood figure is shown - that is a gap in our data, not an all-clear. There are 53 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Infrastructure. The median lot measures about 418 m² across 260 parcels.
Who lives in Watsons Bay
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Watsons Bay 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 1160, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Watsons Bay's 883 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay, the wider ABS statistical area containing Watsons Bay. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Watsons Bay itself.
11,933 in 2001 to 11,846 in 2025, down 1%.
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.
Watsons Bay data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Not 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 Watsons Bay 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 100% of Watsons Bay. 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 Watsons Bay. 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 Watsons Bay lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Watsons Bay planning - frequently asked
Is Watsons Bay flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Watsons Bay, so this page can't say how much of the suburb is flood-affected - that is a gap in our data, not an indication that the suburb is free of flood risk. Woollahra is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area. Published flood models are held over parts of Watsons Bay; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Watsons Bay bushfire-prone?
Bushfire mapping covers Watsons Bay and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone.
Is Watsons Bay under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Watsons Bay, 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 54 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 Watsons Bay?
The dominant planning zone in Watsons Bay is Infrastructure, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Low Density Residential.
Does Watsons Bay have heritage-listed places?
Watsons Bay has 53 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Watsons Bay?
Across 260 surveyed parcels in Watsons Bay, the median lot size is about 418 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Watsons Bay have a train station?
There is no train station inside Watsons Bay itself. The suburb is served by 10 bus stops.
What is the population of Watsons Bay?
At the 2021 Census Watsons Bay had 883 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Rose Bay - Vaucluse - Watsons Bay statistical area, which contains Watsons Bay, went from 11,933 people in 2001 to 11,846 in 2025, down 1%.
Is Watsons Bay an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Watsons Bay scores 1160 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 Watsons Bay?
Median household income in Watsons Bay was $2,924 a week at the 2021 Census, against $3,104 for the typical suburb in Woollahra. Median rent was $674 a week and the median mortgage repayment $3,384 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vaucluse | 1.8 km | <1% | 0% |
| North Harbour Unincorporated - Sydney Harbour Area |
3.1 km | 0% | 13% |
| Dover Heights Waverley |
3.8 km | 2% | 0% |
| Mosman Mosman |
3.8 km | Not mapped | 29% |
| Balgowlah Heights Northern Beaches |
3.9 km | 2% | 48% |
| Rose Bay | 4.0 km | 2% | 0% |
| Point Piper | 4.1 km | Not mapped | 0% |
| Manly Northern Beaches |
4.2 km | 18% | 54% |
| Clontarf Northern Beaches |
4.4 km | 8% | 39% |
| Cremorne Point North Sydney |
4.9 km | Not mapped | <1% |