Gillieston Heights flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Gillieston Heights
(Maitland, NSW) - 11.78 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
11.78 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Gillieston 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 Gillieston 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 2,500 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.
Gillieston Heights at a glance
How Gillieston Heights is zoned
Buying in Gillieston 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 11.78 km², Gillieston Heights is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 56% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 62% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 3 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 591 m² across 2,337 parcels.
Who lives in Gillieston Heights
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Gillieston 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 974, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Gillieston Heights's 4,796 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Maitland, the wider ABS statistical area containing Gillieston Heights. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Gillieston Heights itself.
3,843 in 2001 to 9,805 in 2025, up 155%.
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.
Gillieston 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 Gillieston 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 64% of Gillieston 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 Gillieston Heights lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Gillieston Heights planning - frequently asked
Is Gillieston Heights flood-prone?
About 56% of Gillieston Heights falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 50%.
Is Gillieston Heights bushfire-prone?
Around 62% of Gillieston Heights is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Maitland average of 80%.
Is Gillieston Heights under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 64% of Gillieston Heights, and over about 78% 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 4,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 10 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 Gillieston Heights?
The dominant planning zone in Gillieston Heights is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Environmental Conservation and General Residential.
Does Gillieston Heights have heritage-listed places?
Gillieston Heights has 3 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Gillieston Heights?
Across 2,337 surveyed parcels in Gillieston Heights, the median lot size is about 591 m². There are also 3 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Gillieston Heights have a train station?
There is no train station inside Gillieston Heights itself. The suburb is served by 53 bus stops.
What is the population of Gillieston Heights?
At the 2021 Census Gillieston Heights had 4,796 usual residents, with a median age of 30 and an average household size of 2.8 people. The wider Maitland statistical area, which contains Gillieston Heights, went from 3,843 people in 2001 to 9,805 in 2025, up 155%.
Is Gillieston Heights an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Gillieston Heights scores 974 and sits in decile 5 of 10 nationally and decile 4 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Gillieston Heights?
Median household income in Gillieston Heights was $1,986 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,015 for the typical suburb in Maitland. Median rent was $430 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,950 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Louth Park | 2.9 km | 69% | 90% |
| Mount Dee | 2.9 km | 98% | 99% |
| Farley | 3.0 km | 28% | 91% |
| Cliftleigh Cessnock |
3.1 km | 58% | 76% |
| Telarah | 3.7 km | 38% | 28% |
| Maitland | 4.2 km | 79% | 52% |
| South Maitland | 4.5 km | 100% | 70% |
| Loxford Cessnock |
4.9 km | 30% | 93% |
| Heddon Greta Cessnock |
5.3 km | 18% | 60% |
| Horseshoe Bend | 5.3 km | 100% | 75% |