Hat Head zoning & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Hat Head
(Kempsey, NSW) - 34.27 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
34.27 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 Hat Head'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 Hat Head
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.
Hat Head at a glance
How Hat Head is zoned
Buying in Hat Head? 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 34.27 km², Hat Head 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, 99% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 847 m² across 388 parcels.
Who lives in Hat Head
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Hat Head 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 930, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Hat Head's 365 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Kempsey Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Hat Head. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Hat Head itself.
9,334 in 2001 to 9,671 in 2025, up 4%.
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.
Hat Head 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 Hat Head 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 17% of Hat Head. 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 Hat Head lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Hat Head planning - frequently asked
Is Hat Head flood-prone?
We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Hat Head, 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. Kempsey is the authority to check for flood mapping in this area.
Is Hat Head bushfire-prone?
Around 99% of Hat Head is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Kempsey average of 94%.
Is Hat Head under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 17% of Hat Head, and over about 29% 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. 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 Hat Head?
The dominant planning zone in Hat Head is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Village and Environmental Conservation.
Does Hat Head have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Hat Head.
What is the typical lot size in Hat Head?
Across 388 surveyed parcels in Hat Head, the median lot size is about 847 m².
What is the population of Hat Head?
At the 2021 Census Hat Head had 365 usual residents, with a median age of 60 and an average household size of 2.0 people. The wider Kempsey Surrounds statistical area, which contains Hat Head, went from 9,334 people in 2001 to 9,671 in 2025, up 4%.
Is Hat Head an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Hat Head scores 930 and sits in decile 3 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Hat Head?
Median household income in Hat Head was $990 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,218 for the typical suburb in Kempsey. Median rent was $275 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,860 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kinchela | 5.8 km | Not mapped | 98% |
| Belmore River | 7.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Gladstone | 7.5 km | Not mapped | 85% |
| Smithtown | 9.2 km | Not mapped | 49% |
| Summer Island | 9.9 km | Not mapped | 94% |
| Austral Eden | 10.7 km | Not mapped | 91% |
| Seven Oaks | 10.9 km | Not mapped | 92% |
| Old Station | 11.2 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Bellimbopinni | 13.4 km | Not mapped | 96% |
| Verges Creek | 13.7 km | Not mapped | 100% |