Freemans Waterhole zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Freemans Waterhole (Lake Macquarie, NSW) - 35.99 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we hold - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Everything below is suburb-wide. Overlays change block to block - see which ones actually touch your lot. The map is free.
Constraint readout
35.99 km² - this suburb is highly constrained on the overlays we hold - no flood mapping covers this suburb, so this is not a suburb-wide verdict.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Freemans Waterhole's boundary, with the bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. It shows where constraints fall; the interactive map shows them on your exact address. No flood layer is drawn because we hold no flood mapping for this area.
Freemans Waterhole at a glance
How Freemans Waterhole is zoned
Buying in Freemans Waterhole? 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 35.99 km², Freemans Waterhole 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. The dominant land-use zone is Forestry. The median lot measures about 165,452 m² across 68 parcels. These figures are suburb-wide - the overlays that actually apply to a given lot can differ block to block, which is what a property-level check tells you.
Who lives in Freemans Waterhole
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Freemans Waterhole 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 932, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Freemans Waterhole's 120 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Morisset - Cooranbong, the wider ABS statistical area containing Freemans Waterhole. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Freemans Waterhole itself.
12,601 in 2001 to 21,067 in 2025, up 67%.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Census of Population and Housing 2021 (General Community Profile) and SEIFA 2021, both published at the Suburbs and Localities level; Regional Population (estimated resident population) at Statistical Area Level 2. Used under CC BY 4.0. Census counts of small populations are randomly adjusted by the ABS to protect confidentiality, so figures for small suburbs are indicative.
Freemans Waterhole data sources and coverage
Every figure below is an aggregate for the suburb boundary. “Not mapped” means LayeredGeo does not hold a source layer covering this suburb; it is never an all-clear for a particular property.
| 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 |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 5 August 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 Freemans Waterhole 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.
See what's in the $9 report →Freemans Waterhole planning - frequently asked
Is Freemans Waterhole flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Freemans Waterhole, 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. Lake Macquarie is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area. Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.
Is Freemans Waterhole bushfire-prone?
Yes - around 100% of Freemans Waterhole is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Lake Macquarie average of 65%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.
What is the zoning in Freemans Waterhole?
The dominant planning zone in Freemans Waterhole is Forestry, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Environmental Management. Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.
Does Freemans Waterhole have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Freemans Waterhole. Even so, it is worth confirming for an individual property before any works.
What is the typical lot size in Freemans Waterhole?
Across 68 surveyed parcels in Freemans Waterhole, the median lot size is about 165,452 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb - an easement can restrict where you can build, so always check the title and overlays for the specific lot.
Does Freemans Waterhole have a train station?
There is no train station inside Freemans Waterhole itself. The suburb is served by 6 bus stops.
What is the population of Freemans Waterhole?
At the 2021 Census Freemans Waterhole had 120 usual residents, with a median age of 39 and an average household size of 2.2 people. The wider Morisset - Cooranbong statistical area, which contains Freemans Waterhole, went from 12,601 people in 2001 to 21,067 in 2025, up 67%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Freemans Waterhole alone.
Is Freemans Waterhole an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Freemans Waterhole scores 932 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within New South Wales - decile 1 being the most disadvantaged tenth of Australian suburbs and decile 10 the least. The national average score is 1000. SEIFA summarises income, education, occupation and housing across the whole suburb, so it describes the area, not any particular household in it.
What is the median household income in Freemans Waterhole?
Median household income in Freemans Waterhole was $619 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,636 for the typical suburb in Lake Macquarie. Median rent was $220 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,709 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.
Do I need a planning report for a Freemans Waterhole property?
A Freemans Waterhole planning report pulls every overlay - zoning, flood, bushfire, heritage and environmental - that touches a single lot, on live council and state data. The interactive map preview is free; a full PDF report is $9.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Brunkerville Cessnock |
3.3 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Ryhope | 3.6 km | Not mapped | 96% |
| Mount Vincent Cessnock |
5.7 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Wakefield | 6.4 km | Not mapped | 95% |
| Awaba | 6.4 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Killingworth | 7.9 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Cooranbong | 8.0 km | Not mapped | 92% |
| Fassifern | 8.2 km | Not mapped | 93% |
| Blackalls Park | 8.6 km | Not mapped | 56% |
| Toronto | 9.0 km | Not mapped | 72% |