Aircraft noise in East Melbourne (3002)
Aircraft fly over East Melbourne roughly 17 times a day, the bulk of them arrivals at Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine), between roughly 3,000 and 5,000 ft. Helicopters and light aircraft add another 4 low overflights a day. Estimated peak ground noise reaches 74–85 dB. It ranks #65 of 128 Melbourne 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 East Melbourne · updated monthly
Where the noise comes from
East Melbourne hears traffic from 2 distinct sources:
Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine)
live map →12 overflights/day (75%) · typically 4,200 ft
East Melbourne hears arrivals descending across the city at altitude — steady, rarely sharp.
Helicopters & other light aircraft
4 overflights/day (25%) · typically 1,100 ft
Helicopters serving the hospitals precinct and city pads add a low, short-notice element through the day.
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Richmond | 25 | #50 |
| Melbourne | 23 | #53 |
| East Melbourne | 17 | #65 |
| Southbank | 14 | #74 |
| South Yarra | 7 | #109 |
Common questions
- Is East Melbourne under a flight path?
- Yes — East Melbourne is under Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) flight paths, with around 17 overflights on a typical day, mostly arrivals.
- Which airport's aircraft fly over East Melbourne?
- More than one source: Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) (~12/day), other low-flying aircraft (~4/day). The breakdown above shows each source's pattern.
- What time do planes start over East Melbourne?
- The first movements typically pass over East Melbourne around 6:51am, building through the morning peak.
- Is it quieter in East Melbourne on weekends?
- Slightly — weekends average about 23% fewer overflights than weekdays (15 vs 20 a day).
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 East Melbourne.
