Woonona flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Woonona
(Wollongong, NSW) - 7.73 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
7.73 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Woonona'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 Woonona
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.
Woonona at a glance
How Woonona is zoned
Buying in Woonona? 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 7.73 km², Woonona is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 15% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 41% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 24 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 607 m² across 3,894 parcels.
Who lives in Woonona
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Woonona 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 Woonona's 12,374 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Woonona - Bulli - Russell Vale, the wider ABS statistical area containing Woonona. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Woonona itself.
17,234 in 2001 to 20,974 in 2025, up 22%.
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.
Woonona 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 Woonona 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 43% of Woonona. 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 Woonona lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Woonona planning - frequently asked
Is Woonona flood-prone?
About 15% of Woonona falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 12%.
Is Woonona bushfire-prone?
Around 41% of Woonona is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%.
Is Woonona under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 43% of Woonona, and over about 77% 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 3,500 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 Woonona?
The dominant planning zone in Woonona is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Public Recreation.
Does Woonona have heritage-listed places?
Woonona has 24 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Woonona?
Across 3,894 surveyed parcels in Woonona, the median lot size is about 607 m². There are also 23 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Woonona have a train station?
Yes - Woonona has 1 train station: Woonona Station. It is also served by 85 bus stops.
What is the population of Woonona?
At the 2021 Census Woonona had 12,374 usual residents, with a median age of 43 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Woonona - Bulli - Russell Vale statistical area, which contains Woonona, went from 17,234 people in 2001 to 20,974 in 2025, up 22%.
Is Woonona an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Woonona 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 Woonona?
Median household income in Woonona was $1,816 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,912 for the typical suburb in Wollongong. Median rent was $395 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,200 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Russell Vale | 1.3 km | 11% | 39% |
| Bulli | 2.6 km | 5% | 64% |
| Bellambi | 2.6 km | 22% | 21% |
| Corrimal | 2.6 km | 14% | 39% |
| East Corrimal | 3.2 km | 28% | 19% |
| Towradgi | 3.8 km | 27% | 1% |
| Tarrawanna | 3.9 km | 8% | 71% |
| Fernhill | 4.0 km | 8% | <1% |
| Thirroul | 4.1 km | 0% | 52% |
| Balgownie | 5.0 km | 22% | 51% |