Goolwa flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Goolwa
(Alexandrina Council, SA) - 17.35 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
17.35 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Goolwa'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 Goolwa
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
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.
Goolwa at a glance
How Goolwa is zoned
Selling in Goolwa? 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 17.35 km², Goolwa is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 4% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 16 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 651 m² across 1,887 parcels.
Who lives in Goolwa
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Goolwa 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 889, and decile 1 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Goolwa's 2,558 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Goolwa - Port Elliot, the wider ABS statistical area containing Goolwa. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Goolwa itself.
7,889 in 2001 to 13,711 in 2025, up 74%.
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.
Goolwa 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 Goolwa 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 2% of Goolwa. 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 Goolwa lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Goolwa planning - frequently asked
Is Goolwa flood-prone?
About 4% of Goolwa falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 16%.
Is Goolwa bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Goolwa is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Alexandrina Council average of 100%.
Is Goolwa under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 2% of Goolwa, and over about 19% 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 2,000 ft, with an average of 3,500 ft. 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 Goolwa?
The dominant planning zone in Goolwa is Rural, though the suburb also includes Neighbourhood and Deferred Urban.
Does Goolwa have heritage-listed places?
Goolwa has 16 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Goolwa?
Across 1,887 surveyed parcels in Goolwa, the median lot size is about 651 m².
Does Goolwa have a train station?
There is no train station inside Goolwa itself. The suburb is served by 5 bus stops.
What is the population of Goolwa?
At the 2021 Census Goolwa had 2,558 usual residents, with a median age of 67 and an average household size of 1.8 people. The wider Goolwa - Port Elliot statistical area, which contains Goolwa, went from 7,889 people in 2001 to 13,711 in 2025, up 74%.
Is Goolwa an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Goolwa scores 889 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Goolwa?
Median household income in Goolwa was $790 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,655 for the typical suburb in Alexandrina Council. Median rent was $250 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,000 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goolwa Beach | 2.9 km | 0% | 95% |
| Goolwa North | 4.1 km | 79% | 100% |
| Currency Creek | 4.8 km | 20% | 100% |
| Middleton | 5.5 km | 0% | 99% |
| Goolwa South | 6.8 km | 79% | 94% |
| Port Elliot | 8.9 km | 0% | 99% |
| Mosquito Hill | 10.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Hindmarsh Island | 11.0 km | 90% | 100% |
| Chiton | 11.1 km | 3% | 98% |
| Hayborough City of Victor Harbor |
12.2 km | 2% | 50% |