With floods becoming bigger, more common and more devestating in recent years, knowing which suburbs are in flood risk areas is an important part of your research before you buy a hom ein Newcastle.
Not only is there the very real danger that a flood could damage your property and belongings, there’s also the financial aspect. Insurers are very alert of the changing climate and weather conditions and coverage. Some people are reporting insurers that no longer cover flooding in their home insurance packages while others are charging more than $1000 a month (and rising) to have it included.
Below are some of the resources you can use to find out about flooding risks and some of the suburbs that have historically flooded to help you make an informed decision.
Elevation levels across Newcastle
The height of your property compared with its proximity to water are two important factors to consider.
In Newcastle, the low-lying areas are generally near the ocean, Hunter River, Throsby Creek and the wetlands.
If you’re not familiar with the area, this topographic map (source) is a great resource:
As you can see, red areas are high and blue areas are low. The areas around Merewether Heights (~80m) and New Lambton Heights (~120m) are two of the safest areas.
Many of the blue areas (including Carrington, Mayfield, Shortland and Stockton) are less than 10m above sea level and close to a water source.
City of Newcastle’s Know Your Flood Risk
The local council has its own tool to help you see flooding risks. The Know Your Flood Risk page lets you explore the city and where the highest risks are for flooding events:
Its key is simple:
- Green: very low risk
- Blue: low risk
- Yellow: medium risk
- Red: high risk
From this map, anywhere near the Hunter River, the wetlands, a creek or a storm drain are at high risk. It appears more conservative than some might expect.
One big benefit this map has it that you can search by a specific address. If you’re looking to buy a particular house, you can see the flood risk for that property and the surrounding area.
The council is actively working to reduce the damage of flooding across Newcastle, with a plan currently underway to protect homes near Throsby Creek and its subsidiaries.
Flood Risk Tracker
Insurance companies are well aware of the risk of increased flooding because if they get caught out they’ll be out of pocket.
Insurance broker Steadfast has created a free tool to show you the risk of river flood and storm surge for any address in Australia. It’s another useful tool to use in your research as it takes in data from satellite imagery, flood mapping, population density and more.
This screenshot shows the flood risk for an address in Maryville:
Versus a property in Elermore Vale:
Historical floods in Newcastle
With any natural disaster, it can be incredible hard to predict when and where a flood will happen. Here are some of the bigger floods in the Newcastle area in the past 20 years:
- 2025: Flash flooding, including evacuation calls in Wallsend
- 2015: Major flood events in Beresfield and Wallsend
- 2007: The Pasha Bulker floods, the biggest in the region for a long time
And according to the Newcastle Herald, the most flood-prone areas in the LGA are:
- Hamilton
- Hamilton North
- Hexham
- Maryville
- New Lambton
- Wickham
And these 15 suburbs are at high risk of flooding in the event of a storm or similar:
- Adamstown
- Bar Beach
- Birmingham Gardens
- Carrington
- Cooks Hill
- Elermore Vale
- Georgetown
- Hamilton South
- Islington
- Jesmond
- The Junction
- Kotara
- Mayfield
- Merewether
- Wallsend
Get quotes from insurers
Many home insurers will give you a free online quote so you can get an idea of how much you’d have to pay to insure a home you’re looking at. With their money on the line, you know they’re going to paint an accurate picture.
These tools give a good indication of what to expect to pay, but they are full of disclaimers and may not show the final figure. Be sure to check too that they are including flood insurance as part of the quote.
Of course, some areas may go up in price over time which won’t necessarily be shown in these quotes.
Buying a home in Newcastle
Once you’ve done your due diligence and worked out where you want to buy or avoid, you want to make sure you have the best team on your side. If you want help finding the best home loan, speak to our team of mortgage brokers in Newcastle for a fee-free service.