Wheeler Heights flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Wheeler Heights
(Northern Beaches, NSW) - 0.97 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is moderately constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
0.97 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Wheeler Heights'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 Wheeler Heights
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: 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.
Wheeler Heights at a glance
How Wheeler Heights is zoned
Buying in Wheeler Heights? 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 0.97 km², Wheeler Heights is moderately constrained by planning overlays. About 8% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 13% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 586 m² across 954 parcels.
Who lives in Wheeler Heights
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Wheeler Heights 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 1127, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Wheeler Heights's 3,232 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Narrabeen - Wheeler Heights, the wider ABS statistical area containing Wheeler Heights. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Wheeler Heights itself.
9,444 in 2001 to 11,297 in 2025, up 20%.
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.
Wheeler Heights 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 Wheeler Heights 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 Wheeler Heights. 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 Wheeler Heights. 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 Wheeler Heights lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Wheeler Heights planning - frequently asked
Is Wheeler Heights flood-prone?
About 8% of Wheeler Heights falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 12%. Published flood models are held over parts of Wheeler Heights; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Wheeler Heights bushfire-prone?
Around 13% of Wheeler Heights is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Northern Beaches average of 47%.
Is Wheeler Heights under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Wheeler Heights, 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. At the busiest point in the suburb about 2 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 Wheeler Heights?
The dominant planning zone in Wheeler Heights is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Public Recreation and Local Centre.
Does Wheeler Heights have heritage-listed places?
Wheeler Heights has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Wheeler Heights?
Across 954 surveyed parcels in Wheeler Heights, the median lot size is about 586 m². There are also 10 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Wheeler Heights have a train station?
There is no train station inside Wheeler Heights itself. The suburb is served by 33 bus stops.
What is the population of Wheeler Heights?
At the 2021 Census Wheeler Heights had 3,232 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 3.2 people. The wider Narrabeen - Wheeler Heights statistical area, which contains Wheeler Heights, went from 9,444 people in 2001 to 11,297 in 2025, up 20%.
Is Wheeler Heights an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Wheeler Heights scores 1127 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 Wheeler Heights?
Median household income in Wheeler Heights was $2,914 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,778 for the typical suburb in Northern Beaches. Median rent was $750 a week and the median mortgage repayment $3,198 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Collaroy Plateau | 0.9 km | 0% | 10% |
| Cromer | 1.5 km | 14% | 55% |
| Narrabeen | 1.6 km | 62% | 27% |
| Collaroy | 1.9 km | 2% | 23% |
| Narraweena | 2.5 km | 10% | 8% |
| Dee Why | 2.6 km | 28% | 10% |
| North Narrabeen | 3.0 km | 49% | 28% |
| Elanora Heights | 3.2 km | 5% | 60% |
| Beacon Hill | 3.4 km | 3% | 49% |
| Oxford Falls | 3.7 km | 4% | 97% |