Whyalla flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Whyalla (The Corporation of the City of Whyalla, SA) - 9.59 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.

Planning schematicWhyalla

Constraint readout

9.59 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.

Flood overlay 13%

≈ council avg (14%) · #7 of 16 mapped council suburbs

Bushfire-prone 13%

below council avg (64%) · #15 of 16 mapped council suburbs

Environmental59%

≈ council avg (53%) · #8 of 16 in council

Heritage sites 5 Character 3% Noise corridor <1% Mostly Coastal Waters and Offshore Islands Flood 7th most affected of 16 → Bushfire 15th most affected of 16 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Whyalla'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 Whyalla

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

Under observed aircraft

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

8,500 ft

averaging 8,500 ft

How often

not established

aircraft were seen, but not often enough to put a rate on

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.

Whyalla at a glance

Parcels 2,126 Median lot 997 m² Bus stops 53

How Whyalla is zoned

Coastal Waters and Offshore Islands 52%

General Neighbourhood 17%

Open Space 11%

Suburban Neighbourhood 8%

Established Neighbourhood 3%

Conservation 2%

Selling in Whyalla? 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 9.59 km², Whyalla is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 13% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 13% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 5 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Coastal Waters and Offshore Islands. The median lot measures about 997 m² across 2,126 parcels.

Who lives in Whyalla

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Whyalla suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population

3,609

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median household income

$1,658

per week, The Corporation of the City of Whyalla suburb typical $1,502

Median rent

$200

per week, The Corporation of the City of Whyalla suburb typical $200

Median mortgage

$1,300

per month

Household size

2.2

people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 4

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 967, and decile 5 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 5

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Whyalla's 3,609 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 4.5%

5-14 11.1%

15-19 5.7%

20-24 4.8%

25-34 10.4%

35-44 11.4%

45-54 15.8%

55-64 15.8%

65-74 10.7%

75-84 6.5%

85+ 3.2%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Whyalla, the wider ABS statistical area containing Whyalla. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Whyalla itself.

22,003 in 2001 to 21,641 in 2025, down 2%.

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.

Whyalla 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 Whyalla 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.

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 Whyalla lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Whyalla planning - frequently asked

Is Whyalla flood-prone?

About 13% of Whyalla falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 14%.

Is Whyalla bushfire-prone?

Around 13% of Whyalla is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a The Corporation of the City of Whyalla average of 64%.

Is Whyalla under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed over about 1% of Whyalla in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 8,500 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 Whyalla?

The dominant planning zone in Whyalla is Coastal Waters and Offshore Islands, though the suburb also includes General Neighbourhood and Open Space.

Does Whyalla have heritage-listed places?

Whyalla has 5 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Whyalla?

Across 2,126 surveyed parcels in Whyalla, the median lot size is about 997 m².

Does Whyalla have a train station?

There is no train station inside Whyalla itself. The suburb is served by 53 bus stops.

What is the population of Whyalla?

At the 2021 Census Whyalla had 3,609 usual residents, with a median age of 46 and an average household size of 2.2 people. The wider Whyalla statistical area, which contains Whyalla, went from 22,003 people in 2001 to 21,641 in 2025, down 2%.

Is Whyalla an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Whyalla scores 967 and sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally and decile 5 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Whyalla?

Median household income in Whyalla was $1,658 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,502 for the typical suburb in The Corporation of the City of Whyalla. Median rent was $200 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,300 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Whyalla Playford	2.8 km	18%	13%
Whyalla Norrie	4.2 km	32%	28%
Mullaquana	4.2 km	41%	89%
Whyalla Stuart	5.6 km	45%	50%
Whyalla Jenkins	6.8 km	52%	60%
Whyalla Barson	8.9 km	21%	96%
Cowleds Landing	17.0 km	0%	73%
Port Bonython	18.0 km	0%	96%
Point Lowly	20.1 km	0%	71%
Point Lowly North	20.4 km	0%	70%

See all The Corporation of the City of Whyalla suburb profiles →