Aircraft noise in Thomastown (3074)
On a typical day, about 30 aircraft pass over Thomastown — mostly arrivals at Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine), below 3,000 ft. Helicopters and light aircraft add another 2 low overflights a day. Estimated peak ground noise reaches 80–83 dB — enough to interrupt conversation outdoors. It ranks #41 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 Thomastown · updated monthly
Where the noise comes from
Thomastown hears traffic from 2 distinct sources:
Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine)
live map →27 overflights/day (93%) · typically 2,400 ft
Thomastown lies along the runway 27 approach further from the threshold — arrivals cross at low-to-moderate altitude on easterly days, with quieter stretches whenever the main north–south runway carries the load.
Helicopters & other light aircraft
2 overflights/day (7%) · typically 2,200 ft
Around 2 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 |
|---|---|---|
| Lalor | 74 | #16 |
| Campbellfield | 62 | #20 |
| Epping | 43 | #33 |
| Thomastown | 30 | #41 |
| Bundoora | 16 | #67 |
| Reservoir | 7 | #107 |
Common questions
- Is Thomastown under a flight path?
- Yes — Thomastown is directly under Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) flight paths, with around 30 overflights on a typical day, mostly 27 arrivals.
- Which airport's aircraft fly over Thomastown?
- More than one source: Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine) (~27/day), other low-flying aircraft (~2/day). The breakdown above shows each source's pattern.
- What time do planes start over Thomastown?
- The first movements typically pass over Thomastown around 7:01am, building through the morning peak.
- Is it quieter in Thomastown on weekends?
- Slightly — weekends average about 14% fewer overflights than weekdays (29 vs 34 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 Thomastown.
