Bellbird flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Bellbird
(Cessnock, NSW) - 7.59 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
7.59 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Bellbird's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Bellbird
Two different things, kept apart on purpose. The ANEF contour is the planning instrument - a forecast published per airport that planning schemes use to control noise-sensitive development. Observed overflight is what a sampled aircraft-tracking feed actually recorded over the suburb - where aircraft flew, how low and how often.
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026
typical observed square 1 a day
Night movements: not established - night is sampled as often as day, but too few night flights have been seen here to conclude either way.
Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously, so every figure is a floor: aircraft not captured between samples are not represented. Rates are per 500 m square - the busiest square in the suburb, not a count of flights over the suburb - and a square is only rated where enough traffic was seen to measure it. Altitudes are above mean sea level. Flight paths change with runway use, weather, season and airspace design. This is a record of observed traffic; it is not a noise contour and not a planning control.
Bellbird at a glance
How Bellbird is zoned
Buying in Bellbird? The zoning, flood and bushfire lines on the section 10.7 certificate attached to the contract are mapped controls - see our s10.7 certificate guide.
Across its 7.59 km², Bellbird is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 21% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 79% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 6 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 756 m² across 1,654 parcels.
Who lives in Bellbird
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Bellbird 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 884, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Bellbird's 2,338 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Cessnock, the wider ABS statistical area containing Bellbird. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Bellbird itself.
19,520 in 2001 to 24,745 in 2025, up 27%.
Source: ABS Census 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (Suburbs and Localities), Regional Population (SA2), CC BY 4.0. Small counts are randomly adjusted by the ABS.
Bellbird data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Zoning | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence |
| Observed flight paths | Observed | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 3 October 2026. See the methodology and full source list. Source data changes over time and critical decisions should be checked with the responsible authority.
Check a specific Bellbird 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.
Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 17% of Bellbird. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Bellbird lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Bellbird planning - frequently asked
Is Bellbird flood-prone?
About 21% of Bellbird falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 17%.
Is Bellbird bushfire-prone?
Around 79% of Bellbird is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Cessnock average of 91%.
Is Bellbird under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 17% of Bellbird, and over about 75% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,500 ft, with an average of 4,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously and flight paths change with runway use, weather and season; the ANEF contour is the planning instrument.
What is the zoning in Bellbird?
The dominant planning zone in Bellbird is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Environmental Management.
Does Bellbird have heritage-listed places?
Bellbird has 6 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Bellbird?
Across 1,654 surveyed parcels in Bellbird, the median lot size is about 756 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Bellbird have a train station?
There is no train station inside Bellbird itself. The suburb is served by 66 bus stops.
What is the population of Bellbird?
At the 2021 Census Bellbird had 2,338 usual residents, with a median age of 34 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Cessnock statistical area, which contains Bellbird, went from 19,520 people in 2001 to 24,745 in 2025, up 27%.
Is Bellbird an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Bellbird scores 884 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Bellbird?
Median household income in Bellbird was $1,427 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,929 for the typical suburb in Cessnock. Median rent was $323 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,600 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellbird Heights | 1.4 km | 13% | 47% |
| Pelton | 2.9 km | 11% | 98% |
| Cessnock | 4.4 km | 29% | 73% |
| Kitchener | 4.9 km | 13% | 98% |
| Greta Main | 5.1 km | 24% | 100% |
| Aberdare | 5.1 km | 9% | 60% |
| Mount View | 5.6 km | 5% | 96% |
| Paxton | 6.1 km | 28% | 92% |
| Kearsley | 7.1 km | 27% | 95% |
| Nulkaba | 7.2 km | 31% | 93% |