Mclaren Vale flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Mclaren Vale
(City of Onkaparinga, SA) - 58.47 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
58.47 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Mclaren Vale'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 Mclaren Vale
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 26 Sep 2026
typical observed square 4 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 3,000 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.
Mclaren Vale at a glance
How Mclaren Vale is zoned
Selling in Mclaren Vale? 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 58.47 km², Mclaren Vale is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 2% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 59 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 852 m² across 2,204 parcels.
Who lives in Mclaren Vale
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Mclaren Vale 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 995, and decile 6 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Mclaren Vale's 4,061 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of McLaren Vale, the wider ABS statistical area containing Mclaren Vale. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Mclaren Vale itself.
4,852 in 2001 to 8,779 in 2025, up 81%.
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.
Mclaren Vale 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 26 September 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 Mclaren Vale 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 31% of Mclaren Vale. 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 Mclaren Vale lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Mclaren Vale planning - frequently asked
Is Mclaren Vale flood-prone?
About 2% of Mclaren Vale falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 4%.
Is Mclaren Vale bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Mclaren Vale is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a City of Onkaparinga average of 69%.
Is Mclaren Vale under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 31% of Mclaren Vale, and over about 54% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 26 Sep 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 12 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 Mclaren Vale?
The dominant planning zone in Mclaren Vale is Rural, though the suburb also includes Hills Face and Conservation.
Does Mclaren Vale have heritage-listed places?
Mclaren Vale has 59 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Mclaren Vale?
Across 2,204 surveyed parcels in Mclaren Vale, the median lot size is about 852 m².
Does Mclaren Vale have a train station?
There is no train station inside Mclaren Vale itself. The suburb is served by 26 bus stops.
What is the population of Mclaren Vale?
At the 2021 Census Mclaren Vale had 4,061 usual residents, with a median age of 54 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider McLaren Vale statistical area, which contains Mclaren Vale, went from 4,852 people in 2001 to 8,779 in 2025, up 81%.
Is Mclaren Vale an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Mclaren Vale scores 995 and sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally and decile 6 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Mclaren Vale?
Median household income in Mclaren Vale was $1,331 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,512 for the typical suburb in City of Onkaparinga. Median rent was $328 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,560 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seaford Heights | 3.4 km | 0% | 67% |
| Old Noarlunga | 3.9 km | 13% | 96% |
| Tatachilla | 4.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Seaford Rise | 4.4 km | 3% | 51% |
| Onkaparinga Heights | 4.9 km | 0% | 100% |
| Moana | 5.4 km | 11% | 92% |
| Seaford | 5.5 km | 0% | 35% |
| Maslin Beach | 5.6 km | 0% | 98% |
| Seaford Meadows | 5.8 km | 27% | 12% |
| Huntfield Heights | 5.8 km | 6% | 32% |