Bellbird Heights flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Bellbird Heights
(Cessnock, NSW) - 0.47 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
0.47 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Bellbird Heights'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 Heights
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: observed, lowest 6,500 ft - night is sampled as often as day, but night traffic is light, so this is a floor and no rate can be put on it.
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 Heights at a glance
How Bellbird Heights is zoned
Buying in Bellbird Heights? 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 0.47 km², Bellbird Heights is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 13% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 47% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 743 m² across 362 parcels.
Who lives in Bellbird Heights
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Bellbird Heights 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 902, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Bellbird Heights's 805 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Cessnock, the wider ABS statistical area containing Bellbird Heights. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Bellbird Heights 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 Heights 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 Heights 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 63% of Bellbird Heights. 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 Heights lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Bellbird Heights planning - frequently asked
Is Bellbird Heights flood-prone?
About 13% of Bellbird Heights falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 17%.
Is Bellbird Heights bushfire-prone?
Around 47% of Bellbird Heights is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Cessnock average of 91%.
Is Bellbird Heights under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 63% of Bellbird Heights, and over about 96% 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 Heights?
The dominant planning zone in Bellbird Heights is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Infrastructure and Environmental Management.
Does Bellbird Heights have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Bellbird Heights.
What is the typical lot size in Bellbird Heights?
Across 362 surveyed parcels in Bellbird Heights, the median lot size is about 743 m².
Does Bellbird Heights have a train station?
There is no train station inside Bellbird Heights itself. The suburb is served by 13 bus stops.
What is the population of Bellbird Heights?
At the 2021 Census Bellbird Heights had 805 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.6 people. The wider Cessnock statistical area, which contains Bellbird Heights, went from 19,520 people in 2001 to 24,745 in 2025, up 27%.
Is Bellbird Heights an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Bellbird Heights scores 902 and sits in decile 2 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 Heights?
Median household income in Bellbird Heights was $1,487 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,929 for the typical suburb in Cessnock. Median rent was $368 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,580 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bellbird | 1.4 km | 21% | 79% |
| Cessnock | 3.0 km | 29% | 73% |
| Pelton | 3.7 km | 11% | 98% |
| Aberdare | 3.8 km | 9% | 60% |
| Kitchener | 4.6 km | 13% | 98% |
| Nulkaba | 5.9 km | 31% | 93% |
| Kearsley | 5.9 km | 27% | 95% |
| Greta Main | 6.4 km | 24% | 100% |
| Mount View | 6.8 km | 5% | 96% |
| Paxton | 7.4 km | 28% | 92% |