Birkenhead flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Birkenhead (City of Port Adelaide Enfield, SA) - 1.05 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.

Planning schematicBirkenhead

Constraint readout

1.05 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.

Flood overlay 22%

1.3× council avg (17%) · #15 of 48 mapped council suburbs

Bushfire-prone 0%

· #1 of 48 mapped council suburbs

Environmental25%

2.8× council avg (9%) · #9 of 48 in council

Heritage sites 7 Character 14% Noise corridor 14% Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 77% Mostly General Neighbourhood Flood 15th most affected of 48 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Birkenhead'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 Birkenhead

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 3 Oct 2026

Under observed aircraft

100%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

77%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

1,000 ft

averaging 3,500 ft

Busiest square

~3 a day

3 a day below 3,000 ft · ±13% · area average
typical observed square 1 a day

Night movements: observed, lowest 4,000 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.

Birkenhead at a glance

Parcels 1,038 Median lot 399 m² Bus stops 6

How Birkenhead is zoned

General Neighbourhood 52%

Urban Activity Centre 14%

Strategic Employment 14%

Employment 8%

Coastal Waters and Offshore Islands 7%

Suburban Neighbourhood 5%

Selling in Birkenhead? The zone and overlays on this page are the Planning and Design Code controls a Form 1 vendor's statement has to disclose.

Across its 1.05 km², Birkenhead is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 22% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 7 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is General Neighbourhood. The median lot measures about 399 m² across 1,038 parcels.

Who lives in Birkenhead

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Birkenhead suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population

1,798

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median household income

$1,598

per week, City of Port Adelaide Enfield suburb typical $1,459

Median rent

$315

per week, City of Port Adelaide Enfield suburb typical $307

Median mortgage

$1,543

per month

Household size

2.3

people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 4

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 964, and decile 4 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 4

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Birkenhead's 1,798 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 7.4%

5-14 9.4%

15-19 4.5%

20-24 5.9%

25-34 15.6%

35-44 13.8%

45-54 13.8%

55-64 15.2%

65-74 9.5%

75-84 3.1%

85+ 1.8%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Largs Bay - Semaphore, the wider ABS statistical area containing Birkenhead. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Birkenhead itself.

13,971 in 2001 to 15,765 in 2025, up 13%.

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.

Birkenhead 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	the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data
Bushfire-prone mapping	Mapped	the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data
Zoning	Mapped	the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data
Heritage and environment	Mapped where published	the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)	Not held	the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data, 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 Birkenhead 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 77% of Birkenhead. 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 Birkenhead lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Birkenhead planning - frequently asked

Is Birkenhead flood-prone?

About 22% of Birkenhead falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 17%.

Is Birkenhead bushfire-prone?

Bushfire mapping covers Birkenhead and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone.

Is Birkenhead under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 77% of Birkenhead, and over about 100% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 3 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 3,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 3 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 Birkenhead?

The dominant planning zone in Birkenhead is General Neighbourhood, though the suburb also includes Urban Activity Centre and Strategic Employment.

Does Birkenhead have heritage-listed places?

Birkenhead has 7 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Birkenhead?

Across 1,038 surveyed parcels in Birkenhead, the median lot size is about 399 m².

Does Birkenhead have a train station?

There is no train station inside Birkenhead itself. The suburb is served by 6 bus stops.

What is the population of Birkenhead?

At the 2021 Census Birkenhead had 1,798 usual residents, with a median age of 39 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Largs Bay - Semaphore statistical area, which contains Birkenhead, went from 13,971 people in 2001 to 15,765 in 2025, up 13%.

Is Birkenhead an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Birkenhead scores 964 and sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally and decile 4 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Birkenhead?

Median household income in Birkenhead was $1,598 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,459 for the typical suburb in City of Port Adelaide Enfield. Median rent was $315 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,543 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Peterhead	0.7 km	38%	0%
Exeter	0.8 km	24%	0%
New Port	1.0 km	17%	0%
Glanville	1.1 km	41%	0%
Largs Bay	1.2 km	25%	0%
Port Adelaide	1.2 km	32%	0%
Ethelton	1.6 km	35%	0%
Semaphore	1.6 km	23%	0%
Semaphore South	2.0 km	30%	0%
Largs North	2.2 km	18%	0%

See all City of Port Adelaide Enfield suburb profiles →