Noarlunga Downs flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Noarlunga Downs
(City of Onkaparinga, SA) - 4.3 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
4.3 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Noarlunga Downs'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 Noarlunga Downs
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
typical observed square 1 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.
Noarlunga Downs at a glance
How Noarlunga Downs is zoned
Selling in Noarlunga Downs? 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 4.3 km², Noarlunga Downs is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 22% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 18% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is General Neighbourhood. The median lot measures about 608 m² across 1,991 parcels.
Who lives in Noarlunga Downs
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Noarlunga Downs 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 910, and decile 2 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Noarlunga Downs's 4,031 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Christie Downs, the wider ABS statistical area containing Noarlunga Downs. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Noarlunga Downs itself.
7,707 in 2001 to 9,700 in 2025, up 26%.
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.
Noarlunga Downs 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 Noarlunga Downs 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 34% of Noarlunga Downs. 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 Noarlunga Downs lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Noarlunga Downs planning - frequently asked
Is Noarlunga Downs flood-prone?
About 22% of Noarlunga Downs falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 4%.
Is Noarlunga Downs bushfire-prone?
Around 18% of Noarlunga Downs is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a City of Onkaparinga average of 69%.
Is Noarlunga Downs under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 34% of Noarlunga Downs, and over about 73% 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 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 Noarlunga Downs?
The dominant planning zone in Noarlunga Downs is General Neighbourhood, though the suburb also includes Conservation and Housing Diversity Neighbourhood.
Does Noarlunga Downs have heritage-listed places?
Noarlunga Downs has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Noarlunga Downs?
Across 1,991 surveyed parcels in Noarlunga Downs, the median lot size is about 608 m².
Does Noarlunga Downs have a train station?
There is no train station inside Noarlunga Downs itself. The suburb is served by 34 bus stops.
What is the population of Noarlunga Downs?
At the 2021 Census Noarlunga Downs had 4,031 usual residents, with a median age of 39 and an average household size of 2.3 people. The wider Christie Downs statistical area, which contains Noarlunga Downs, went from 7,707 people in 2001 to 9,700 in 2025, up 26%.
Is Noarlunga Downs an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Noarlunga Downs scores 910 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Noarlunga Downs?
Median household income in Noarlunga Downs was $1,189 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,512 for the typical suburb in City of Onkaparinga. Median rent was $250 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,352 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Huntfield Heights | 1.1 km | 6% | 32% |
| Seaford Meadows | 1.6 km | 27% | 12% |
| Onkaparinga Heights | 1.9 km | 0% | 100% |
| Noarlunga Centre | 2.1 km | 0% | 0% |
| Port Noarlunga South | 2.1 km | 29% | 45% |
| Port Noarlunga | 2.1 km | 20% | 46% |
| Hackham West | 2.2 km | 0% | 0% |
| Old Noarlunga | 2.4 km | 13% | 96% |
| Hackham | 3.1 km | 3% | 42% |
| Christie Downs | 3.3 km | 0% | 0% |