Aircraft noise in Macquarie Park (2113)
Aircraft fly over Macquarie Park roughly 81 times a day, the bulk of them arrivals at Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport, below 3,000 ft. Helicopters and light aircraft add another 13 low overflights a day. Estimated peak ground noise reaches 79–82 dB — enough to interrupt conversation outdoors. It ranks #6 of 139 Sydney suburbs for aircraft noise exposure. (Flight Path Noise monitoring data, 90 days to 2026-08-21.)
Data: 90 days to 2026-08-21 · all tracked aircraft over Macquarie Park · updated monthly
Where the noise comes from
Macquarie Park hears traffic from 2 distinct sources:
Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport
live map →68 overflights/day (84%) · typically 2,700 ft
Macquarie Park lies under the north-western arrival corridor for the parallel runways. On south-flow days, arrivals descend overhead while manoeuvring onto final for 16R and 16L, low enough to be clearly audible. When the airport runs north-flow the stream dries up and the suburb hears mainly higher, quieter traffic.
Helicopters & other light aircraft
13 overflights/day (16%) · typically 2,400 ft
Around 13 low overflights a day come from aircraft not operating at a tracked airport — helicopters, seaplanes and light aircraft transiting the area. Light-aircraft counts are tracked overflights only — many training and private aircraft carry no ADS-B transponder, so true numbers are higher.
Light-aircraft counts are tracked overflights only — many training and private aircraft carry no ADS-B transponder, so true numbers are higher.
How nearby suburbs compare
| Suburb | Overflights / day | Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Macquarie Park | 81 | #6 |
| North Ryde | 73 | #7 |
| West Pymble | 53 | #12 |
| Killara | 40 | #20 |
| Lindfield | 29 | #31 |
| South Turramurra | 19 | #71 |
| Marsfield | 14 | #92 |
Common questions
- Is Macquarie Park under a flight path?
- Yes — Macquarie Park is directly under Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport flight paths, with around 81 overflights on a typical day, mostly 16R arrivals.
- Which airport's aircraft fly over Macquarie Park?
- More than one source: Sydney Kingsford Smith Airport (~68/day), other low-flying aircraft (~13/day). The breakdown above shows each source's pattern.
- What time do planes start over Macquarie Park?
- The first movements typically pass over Macquarie Park around 9:47am, once the curfew (11 PM – 6 AM) ends. Traffic builds through the morning peak.
- Is it quieter in Macquarie Park on weekends?
- Slightly — weekends average about 14% fewer overflights than weekdays (91 vs 106 a day).
- Why is it loud some weeks and quiet others?
- Runway direction. Wind decides which runways are in use, and only some configurations put traffic over Macquarie Park — so noise arrives in multi-day patterns rather than evenly.
Checking a specific address?
This page shows suburb-wide averages. An address report gives you the exact overflight count, altitudes, hourly pattern and noise estimate for one property. Leave your email and we'll let you know when reports are ready for Macquarie Park.
