Black Hill flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Black Hill
(Cessnock, NSW) - 45.72 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
45.72 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Black Hill'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 Black Hill
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 1,000 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.
Black Hill at a glance
How Black Hill is zoned
Buying in Black Hill? 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 45.72 km², Black Hill is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 22% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 94% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 12,206 m² across 394 parcels.
Who lives in Black Hill
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Black Hill 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 1076, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Black Hill's 516 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Cessnock Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Black Hill. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Black Hill itself.
6,288 in 2001 to 9,974 in 2025, up 59%.
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.
Black Hill 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 Black Hill 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 60% of Black Hill. 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 Black Hill lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Black Hill planning - frequently asked
Is Black Hill flood-prone?
About 22% of Black Hill falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 17%.
Is Black Hill bushfire-prone?
Around 94% of Black Hill is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Cessnock average of 91%.
Is Black Hill under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 60% of Black Hill, and over about 71% 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 500 ft, with an average of 3,000 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 Black Hill?
The dominant planning zone in Black Hill is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and Environmental Living.
Does Black Hill have heritage-listed places?
Black Hill has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Black Hill?
Across 394 surveyed parcels in Black Hill, the median lot size is about 12,206 m². There are also 8 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Black Hill have a train station?
There is no train station inside Black Hill itself. The suburb is served by 34 bus stops.
What is the population of Black Hill?
At the 2021 Census Black Hill had 516 usual residents, with a median age of 47 and an average household size of 3.2 people. The wider Cessnock Surrounds statistical area, which contains Black Hill, went from 6,288 people in 2001 to 9,974 in 2025, up 59%.
Is Black Hill an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Black Hill scores 1076 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Black Hill?
Median household income in Black Hill was $2,980 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,929 for the typical suburb in Cessnock. Median rent was $586 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,665 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beresfield Newcastle |
2.9 km | 24% | 38% |
| Lenaghan Newcastle |
3.4 km | 56% | 100% |
| Thornton Maitland |
4.3 km | 23% | 70% |
| Ashtonfield Maitland |
5.1 km | Not mapped | 75% |
| Tarro Newcastle |
5.1 km | 86% | 58% |
| Buttai | 5.6 km | 11% | 100% |
| Hexham Newcastle |
5.7 km | 97% | 89% |
| Woodberry Maitland |
5.8 km | 82% | 81% |
| Fletcher Newcastle |
5.9 km | 34% | 80% |
| Metford Maitland |
6.1 km | 0% | 41% |