Higher Macdonald flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Higher Macdonald
(Hawkesbury, NSW) - 87.01 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
87.01 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Higher 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 Higher 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: observed, lowest 6,000 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.
Higher Macdonald at a glance
How Higher Macdonald is zoned
Buying in Higher 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 87.01 km², Higher 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 3 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 169,236 m² across 85 parcels.
Who lives in Higher Macdonald
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Higher 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.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Bilpin - Colo - St Albans, the wider ABS statistical area containing Higher Macdonald. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Higher 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.
Higher 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 Higher 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 1% of Higher 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 Higher Macdonald lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Higher Macdonald planning - frequently asked
Is Higher Macdonald flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Higher Macdonald and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 24%).
Is Higher Macdonald bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Higher Macdonald is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Hawkesbury average of 84%.
Is Higher Macdonald under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 1% of Higher Macdonald, and over about 13% 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 2,000 ft, with an average of 6,500 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 Higher Macdonald?
The dominant planning zone in Higher Macdonald is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Environmental Living and Rural Landscape.
Does Higher Macdonald have heritage-listed places?
Higher Macdonald has 3 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Higher Macdonald?
Across 85 surveyed parcels in Higher Macdonald, the median lot size is about 169,236 m². There are also 4 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Is Higher Macdonald an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Higher 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Perrys Crossing | 8.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Upper Macdonald | 10.0 km | 0% | 100% |
| Womerah | 11.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Fernances | 11.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| St Albans | 15.1 km | 0% | 100% |
| Mellong | 16.2 km | 0% | 100% |
| Yengo Cessnock |
16.4 km | 4% | 100% |
| Mogo Creek | 16.6 km | 0% | 100% |
| Webbs Creek | 18.9 km | 1% | 100% |
| Central Macdonald | 19.8 km | 0% | 100% |