Bielsdown Hills zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Bielsdown Hills
(Bellingen, NSW) - 28.67 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
28.67 km² - this suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we could measure - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Bielsdown Hills's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Bielsdown Hills
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
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.
Bielsdown Hills at a glance
How Bielsdown Hills is zoned
Buying in Bielsdown Hills? 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 28.67 km², Bielsdown Hills is highly constrained by the planning overlays we hold. We hold no flood mapping covering this suburb, so no flood figure is shown - that is a gap in our data, not an all-clear. Of what is mapped, 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 284,461 m² across 96 parcels.
Who lives in Bielsdown Hills
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Bielsdown Hills 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 1019, and decile 7 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Bielsdown Hills's 104 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Dorrigo, the wider ABS statistical area containing Bielsdown Hills. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Bielsdown Hills itself.
3,473 in 2001 to 3,250 in 2025, down 6%.
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.
Bielsdown Hills data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Not 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 Bielsdown Hills 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.
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 Bielsdown Hills lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Bielsdown Hills planning - frequently asked
Is Bielsdown Hills flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Bielsdown Hills, so this page can't say how much of the suburb is flood-affected - that is a gap in our data, not an indication that the suburb is free of flood risk. Bellingen is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.
Is Bielsdown Hills bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Bielsdown Hills is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Bellingen average of 98%.
Is Bielsdown Hills under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 2% of Bielsdown Hills in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 6,500 ft. 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 Bielsdown Hills?
The dominant planning zone in Bielsdown Hills is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Environmental Management.
Does Bielsdown Hills have heritage-listed places?
Bielsdown Hills has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Bielsdown Hills?
Across 96 surveyed parcels in Bielsdown Hills, the median lot size is about 284,461 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Bielsdown Hills?
At the 2021 Census Bielsdown Hills had 104 usual residents, with a median age of 56 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Dorrigo statistical area, which contains Bielsdown Hills, went from 3,473 people in 2001 to 3,250 in 2025, down 6%.
Is Bielsdown Hills an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Bielsdown Hills scores 1019 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 7 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Bielsdown Hills?
Median household income in Bielsdown Hills was $1,343 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,268 for the typical suburb in Bellingen. Median rent was $300 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,733 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fernbrook | 5.0 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Dorrigo | 5.7 km | Not mapped | 95% |
| Dorrigo Mountain | 6.6 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Darkwood | 6.8 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| North Dorrigo | 11.9 km | 0% | 99% |
| Bostobrick | 12.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Deer Vale | 12.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Thora | 13.1 km | Not mapped | 98% |
| Megan | 13.9 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Tallowwood Ridge | 14.0 km | 0% | 100% |