Essendon West flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Essendon West
(Moonee Valley, VIC) - 1.01 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 6 September 2026.
Everything below is suburb-wide. Overlays change block to block - see which ones actually touch your lot. The map is free.
Constraint readout
1.01 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Essendon West's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. It shows where constraints fall; the interactive map shows them on your exact address.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Essendon West at a glance
How Essendon West is zoned
Selling in Essendon West? The zoning and planning overlays on this page are the controls a Section 32 vendor statement discloses - a $9 planning report pulls them at the lot level for any Essendon West address.
Across its 1.01 km², Essendon West is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 17% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 5 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Residential 1 Zone (R1Z). The median lot measures about 400 m² across 939 parcels. These figures are suburb-wide - the overlays that actually apply to a given lot can differ block to block, which is what a property-level check tells you.
Who lives in Essendon West
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Essendon West 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 1096, and decile 10 within Victoria. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Essendon West's 1,559 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Niddrie - Essendon West, the wider ABS statistical area containing Essendon West. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Essendon West itself.
5,903 in 2001 to 8,048 in 2025, up 36%.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Census of Population and Housing 2021 (General Community Profile) and SEIFA 2021, both published at the Suburbs and Localities level; Regional Population (estimated resident population) at Statistical Area Level 2. Used under CC BY 4.0. Census counts of small populations are randomly adjusted by the ABS to protect confidentiality, so figures for small suburbs are indicative.
Essendon West data sources and coverage
Every figure below is an aggregate for the suburb boundary. “Not mapped” means LayeredGeo does not hold a source layer covering this suburb; it is never an all-clear for a particular property.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Mapped | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services |
| Zoning | Mapped | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services, Defence |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 6 September 2026. See the methodology and full source list. Source data changes over time and critical decisions should be checked with the responsible authority.
What a $9 report adds for a Essendon West address
This page is the suburb; the report is your lot. For any Essendon West address it resolves, on the lot boundary:
- The zone and every planning overlay that touches the lot, in the scheme's own labels
- Which flood overlay categories reach the lot
- Whether the lot is in bushfire-prone mapping, and what that triggers for a build
- Whether the lot, or a neighbour, is one of the 5 heritage-listed places on record
- Walking distance to the nearest bus stop
- A coverage disclosure: exactly which layers were, and were not, assessed
The interactive map is free - check an address below.
Geotechnical desktop report for a Essendon West lot
The planning report tells you what you may build. The geotechnical desktop report tells you what the ground under a Essendon West address is likely to do - before you pay for a site investigation.
- Mapped geology and soil landscape on the lot
- Indicative AS 2870 site class, with the evidence behind it
- Nearby bore logs and groundwater records
- Acid sulfate soil and reactive clay screening
- Contours, slope and site elevation
- What the desktop evidence cannot tell you, stated plainly
Check a specific Essendon West 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.
See what's in the $9 report →Essendon West planning - frequently asked
Where can I see a flood map of Essendon West?
The schematic on this page is a Essendon West flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid, covering about 17% of the suburb. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Essendon West address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.
Is Essendon West flood-prone?
About 17% of Essendon West falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 10%. Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.
Is Essendon West bushfire-prone?
Bushfire mapping covers Essendon West and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone (the Moonee Valley average is 2%). Always confirm for the exact lot, as mapping can change.
What is the zoning in Essendon West?
The dominant planning zone in Essendon West is Residential 1 Zone (R1Z), though the suburb also includes Public Park and Recreation Zone (PPRZ) and Transport Zone (TRZ2). Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.
Does Essendon West have heritage-listed places?
Essendon West has 5 heritage-listed places on record. Heritage listing affects what you can alter or demolish, so confirm whether a specific property is listed or near a heritage place.
What is the typical lot size in Essendon West?
Across 939 surveyed parcels in Essendon West, the median lot size is about 400 m². There are also 291 registered easements mapped in the suburb - an easement can restrict where you can build, so always check the title and overlays for the specific lot.
Does Essendon West have a train station?
There is no train station inside Essendon West itself. The suburb is served by 8 bus stops.
What is the population of Essendon West?
At the 2021 Census Essendon West had 1,559 usual residents, with a median age of 39 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Niddrie - Essendon West statistical area, which contains Essendon West, went from 5,903 people in 2001 to 8,048 in 2025, up 36%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Essendon West alone.
Is Essendon West an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Essendon West scores 1096 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within Victoria - decile 1 being the most disadvantaged tenth of Australian suburbs and decile 10 the least. The national average score is 1000. SEIFA summarises income, education, occupation and housing across the whole suburb, so it describes the area, not any particular household in it.
What is the median household income in Essendon West?
Median household income in Essendon West was $2,338 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,043 for the typical suburb in Moonee Valley. Median rent was $450 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,682 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.
Do I need a planning report for a Essendon West property?
An Essendon West planning report pulls every overlay - zoning, flood, bushfire, heritage, environmental and noise - that touches a single lot, on live council and state data. The interactive map preview is free; the full PDF report is $9.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberfeldie | 1.3 km | 15% | 0% |
| Niddrie | 1.7 km | 4% | 0% |
| Maribyrnong Maribyrnong |
1.9 km | 24% | 0% |
| Avondale Heights | 2.0 km | 11% | 0% |
| Essendon | 2.4 km | 4% | 0% |
| Essendon North | 2.4 km | <1% | 0% |
| Keilor East | 3.1 km | 6% | 28% |
| Maidstone Maribyrnong |
3.1 km | 5% | 0% |
| Moonee Ponds | 3.4 km | 3% | 0% |
| Airport West | 3.6 km | 4% | 0% |