Wollongong flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Wollongong
(Wollongong, NSW) - 5.93 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
5.93 km² - this suburb is moderately constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Wollongong'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 Wollongong
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 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.
Wollongong at a glance
How Wollongong is zoned
Buying in Wollongong? 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 5.93 km², Wollongong is moderately constrained by planning overlays. About 35% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 141 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is General Residential. The median lot measures about 654 m² across 3,563 parcels.
Who lives in Wollongong
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Wollongong 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 1024, and decile 7 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Wollongong's 20,446 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Wollongong - East, the wider ABS statistical area containing Wollongong. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Wollongong itself.
9,764 in 2001 to 18,274 in 2025, up 87%.
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.
Wollongong 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 Wollongong 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 23% of Wollongong. 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 Wollongong lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Wollongong planning - frequently asked
Is Wollongong flood-prone?
About 35% of Wollongong falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 12%.
Is Wollongong bushfire-prone?
Bushfire mapping covers Wollongong and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone (the Wollongong average is 56%).
Is Wollongong under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 23% of Wollongong, and over about 72% 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 5,500 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 Wollongong?
The dominant planning zone in Wollongong is General Residential, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Public Recreation.
Does Wollongong have heritage-listed places?
Wollongong has 141 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Wollongong?
Across 3,563 surveyed parcels in Wollongong, the median lot size is about 654 m². There are also 9 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Wollongong have a train station?
Yes - Wollongong has 1 train station: Wollongong Station. It is also served by 179 bus stops.
What is the population of Wollongong?
At the 2021 Census Wollongong had 20,446 usual residents, with a median age of 35 and an average household size of 2.0 people. The wider Wollongong - East statistical area, which contains Wollongong, went from 9,764 people in 2001 to 18,274 in 2025, up 87%.
Is Wollongong an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Wollongong scores 1024 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 Wollongong?
Median household income in Wollongong was $1,549 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,912 for the typical suburb in Wollongong. Median rent was $410 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,950 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coniston | 1.3 km | 42% | 10% |
| Mangerton | 1.7 km | 9% | 23% |
| Gwynneville | 1.7 km | 28% | 7% |
| West Wollongong | 2.1 km | 8% | 4% |
| Mount Saint Thomas | 2.3 km | 18% | 15% |
| North Wollongong | 2.6 km | 64% | 33% |
| Keiraville | 2.7 km | 26% | 25% |
| Mount Ousley | 3.3 km | 19% | 26% |
| Fairy Meadow | 3.5 km | 50% | 1% |
| Spring Hill | 3.5 km | 10% | 0% |