Watervale flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Watervale
(Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council, SA) - 59.08 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
59.08 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Watervale'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 Watervale
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.
Watervale at a glance
How Watervale is zoned
Selling in Watervale? 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 59.08 km², Watervale is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 10 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 12,609 m² across 390 parcels.
Who lives in Watervale
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Watervale 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 1000, and decile 7 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Watervale's 338 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Gilbert Valley, the wider ABS statistical area containing Watervale. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Watervale itself.
4,711 in 2001 to 5,198 in 2025, up 10%.
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.
Watervale 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 Watervale 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 4% of Watervale. 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 Watervale lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Watervale planning - frequently asked
Is Watervale flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Watervale and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 0%).
Is Watervale bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Watervale is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council average of 100%.
Is Watervale under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 4% of Watervale, and over about 23% 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 4,000 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 Watervale?
The dominant planning zone in Watervale is Rural, though the suburb also includes Township.
Does Watervale have heritage-listed places?
Watervale has 10 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Watervale?
Across 390 surveyed parcels in Watervale, the median lot size is about 12,609 m².
Does Watervale have a train station?
There is no train station inside Watervale itself. The suburb is served by 2 bus stops.
What is the population of Watervale?
At the 2021 Census Watervale had 338 usual residents, with a median age of 43 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Gilbert Valley statistical area, which contains Watervale, went from 4,711 people in 2001 to 5,198 in 2025, up 10%.
Is Watervale an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Watervale scores 1000 and sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally and decile 7 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Watervale?
Median household income in Watervale was $1,437 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,437 for the typical suburb in Clare and Gilbert Valleys Council. Median rent was $275 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,231 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leasingham | 3.0 km | 0% | 100% |
| Penwortham | 4.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Sevenhill | 7.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Auburn | 8.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Spring Gully | 8.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Polish Hill River | 9.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Gillentown | 9.9 km | 0% | 100% |
| Mintaro | 11.2 km | <1% | 100% |
| Hoyleton Wakefield Regional Council |
12.1 km | 0% | 100% |
| Emu Flat | 12.8 km | 0% | 100% |