West Lakes flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of West Lakes
(City of Charles Sturt, SA) - 4.39 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
4.39 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to West Lakes'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 West Lakes
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 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.
West Lakes at a glance
How West Lakes is zoned
Selling in West Lakes? 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 4.39 km², West Lakes is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 52% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Waterfront Neighbourhood. The median lot measures about 274 m² across 4,742 parcels.
Who lives in West Lakes
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the West Lakes 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 1036, and decile 9 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of West Lakes's 6,768 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of West Lakes, the wider ABS statistical area containing West Lakes. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than West Lakes itself.
15,094 in 2001 to 15,989 in 2025, up 6%.
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.
West Lakes 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 West Lakes 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 47% of West Lakes. 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 West Lakes lot.
See what's in the $9 report →West Lakes planning - frequently asked
Is West Lakes flood-prone?
About 52% of West Lakes falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 31%.
Is West Lakes bushfire-prone?
Bushfire mapping covers West Lakes and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone.
Is West Lakes under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 47% of West Lakes, and over about 86% 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 2 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 West Lakes?
The dominant planning zone in West Lakes is Waterfront Neighbourhood, though the suburb also includes Recreation and Urban Activity Centre.
Does West Lakes have heritage-listed places?
West Lakes has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in West Lakes?
Across 4,742 surveyed parcels in West Lakes, the median lot size is about 274 m².
Does West Lakes have a train station?
There is no train station inside West Lakes itself. The suburb is served by 43 bus stops.
What is the population of West Lakes?
At the 2021 Census West Lakes had 6,768 usual residents, with a median age of 54 and an average household size of 2.2 people. The wider West Lakes statistical area, which contains West Lakes, went from 15,094 people in 2001 to 15,989 in 2025, up 6%.
Is West Lakes an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), West Lakes scores 1036 and sits in decile 8 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in West Lakes?
Median household income in West Lakes was $1,548 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,595 for the typical suburb in City of Charles Sturt. Median rent was $370 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,788 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Park | 1.2 km | 28% | 0% |
| West Lakes Shore | 1.3 km | 20% | 0% |
| Tennyson | 1.7 km | 11% | 0% |
| Semaphore Park | 1.8 km | 24% | 0% |
| Hendon | 1.8 km | 37% | 0% |
| Queenstown City of Port Adelaide Enfield |
1.9 km | 21% | 0% |
| Grange | 2.4 km | 24% | 0% |
| Albert Park | 2.6 km | 57% | 0% |
| Alberton City of Port Adelaide Enfield |
2.6 km | 33% | 0% |
| Cheltenham | 2.7 km | 35% | 0% |