Hillsborough zoning & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Hillsborough (Lake Macquarie, NSW) - 1.54 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.

Planning schematicHillsborough

Constraint readout

1.54 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.

Flood overlay Not mapped

No flood mapping held for this area - not an all-clear

Bushfire-prone 81%

≈ council avg (65%) · #30 of 94 mapped council suburbs

Environmental18%

below council avg (35%) · #64 of 94 in council

Heritage sites 0 Aircraft seen below 3,000 ft 38% Mostly Private Recreation Bushfire 30th most affected of 94 →

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Hillsborough'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 Hillsborough

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

Under observed aircraft

72%

of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft

Below 3,000 ft

38%

of the suburb's area

Lowest measured

1,000 ft

averaging 4,000 ft

Busiest square

~1 a day

1 a day below 3,000 ft · ±30% · area average
typical observed square 1 a day

Night movements: observed, lowest 1,000 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.

Hillsborough at a glance

Parcels 271 Median lot 726 m² Bus stops 15

How Hillsborough is zoned

Private Recreation 35%

Infrastructure 20%

Environmental Conservation 18%

Low Density Residential 15%

Public Recreation 10%

Primary Production Small Lots 2%

Buying in Hillsborough? 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 1.54 km², Hillsborough 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, 81% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Private Recreation. The median lot measures about 726 m² across 271 parcels.

Who lives in Hillsborough

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Hillsborough suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population

641

usual residents, 2021

Median age

years

Median household income

$1,970

per week, Lake Macquarie suburb typical $1,636

Median rent

$420

per week, Lake Macquarie suburb typical $390

Median mortgage

$1,950

per month

Household size

2.7

people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 5

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 982, and decile 5 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 6

most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Hillsborough's 641 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 5.3%

5-14 12.8%

15-19 6.6%

20-24 6.3%

25-34 13.4%

35-44 10.5%

45-54 14.9%

55-64 12.3%

65-74 10.3%

75-84 6.9%

85+ 0.6%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Glendale - Cardiff - Hillsborough, the wider ABS statistical area containing Hillsborough. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Hillsborough itself.

22,959 in 2001 to 25,569 in 2025, up 11%.

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.

Hillsborough 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 Hillsborough 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 38% of Hillsborough. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.

Published flood models are held over parts of Hillsborough. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$9 with the planning report.

Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Hillsborough lot.

See what's in the $9 report →

Hillsborough planning - frequently asked

Is Hillsborough flood-prone?

We don't yet hold flood mapping covering Hillsborough, 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. Published flood models are held over parts of Hillsborough; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.

Is Hillsborough bushfire-prone?

Around 81% of Hillsborough is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Lake Macquarie average of 65%.

Is Hillsborough under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 38% of Hillsborough, and over about 72% 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. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 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 Hillsborough?

The dominant planning zone in Hillsborough is Private Recreation, though the suburb also includes Infrastructure and Environmental Conservation.

Does Hillsborough have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within Hillsborough.

What is the typical lot size in Hillsborough?

Across 271 surveyed parcels in Hillsborough, the median lot size is about 726 m².

Does Hillsborough have a train station?

There is no train station inside Hillsborough itself. The suburb is served by 15 bus stops.

What is the population of Hillsborough?

At the 2021 Census Hillsborough had 641 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Glendale - Cardiff - Hillsborough statistical area, which contains Hillsborough, went from 22,959 people in 2001 to 25,569 in 2025, up 11%.

Is Hillsborough an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Hillsborough scores 982 and sits in decile 5 of 10 nationally and decile 5 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Hillsborough?

Median household income in Hillsborough was $1,970 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,636 for the typical suburb in Lake Macquarie. Median rent was $420 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,950 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburb	Distance	Flood mapped	Bushfire-prone
Cardiff South	1.3 km	Not mapped	38%
Mount Hutton	1.6 km	2%	62%
Charlestown	2.0 km	<1%	47%
Garden Suburb	2.0 km	Not mapped	69%
Warners Bay	2.1 km	0%	44%
Lakelands	2.1 km	Not mapped	43%
Kotara South	2.3 km	3%	27%
Gateshead	2.5 km	13%	44%
Cardiff	2.8 km	Not mapped	22%
Macquarie Hills	3.1 km	Not mapped	58%

See all Lake Macquarie suburb profiles →