Central Macdonald flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Central Macdonald
(Hawkesbury, NSW) - 12.92 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
12.92 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Central Macdonald'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 Central Macdonald
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.
Central Macdonald at a glance
How Central Macdonald is zoned
Buying in Central Macdonald? 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 12.92 km², Central Macdonald is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 12 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 74,899 m² across 48 parcels.
Who lives in Central Macdonald
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Central Macdonald 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 1010, and decile 6 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Central Macdonald's 49 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Bilpin - Colo - St Albans, the wider ABS statistical area containing Central Macdonald. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Central Macdonald itself.
2,518 in 2001 to 2,781 in 2025, up 10%.
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.
Central Macdonald 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 Central Macdonald 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 21% of Central Macdonald. 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 Central Macdonald lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Central Macdonald planning - frequently asked
Is Central Macdonald flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Central Macdonald and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 24%).
Is Central Macdonald bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Central Macdonald is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Hawkesbury average of 84%.
Is Central Macdonald under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 21% of Central Macdonald, and over about 43% 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 1,000 ft, with an average of 4,000 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 Central Macdonald?
The dominant planning zone in Central Macdonald is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Environmental Living.
Does Central Macdonald have heritage-listed places?
Central Macdonald has 12 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Central Macdonald?
Across 48 surveyed parcels in Central Macdonald, the median lot size is about 74,899 m². There are also 4 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Central Macdonald have a train station?
There is no train station inside Central Macdonald itself. The suburb is served by 10 bus stops.
Is Central Macdonald an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Central Macdonald scores 1010 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 6 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lower Macdonald | 2.6 km | 2% | 99% |
| Webbs Creek | 6.2 km | 1% | 100% |
| Wisemans Ferry Hornsby |
6.8 km | 35% | 86% |
| Wrights Creek | 8.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| St Albans | 9.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Upper Macdonald | 9.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Leets Vale The Hills Shire |
10.2 km | 28% | 96% |
| Gunderman Central Coast |
10.4 km | 9% | 96% |
| Ten Mile Hollow | 10.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Laughtondale Hornsby |
12.5 km | 19% | 91% |