Hillsborough flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Hillsborough
(Maitland, NSW) - 9.52 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
9.52 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Hillsborough'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 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
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.
Hillsborough at a glance
How Hillsborough is zoned
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 9.52 km², Hillsborough is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 21% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 98% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural Landscape. The median lot measures about 80,650 m² across 26 parcels.
Who lives in Hillsborough
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Hillsborough 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 1072, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Hillsborough's 50 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Rutherford (North) - Aberglasslyn, 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.
7,624 in 2001 to 19,954 in 2025, up 162%.
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 | 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 4% 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.
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?
About 21% of Hillsborough falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 50%.
Is Hillsborough bushfire-prone?
Around 98% of Hillsborough is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Maitland average of 80%.
Is Hillsborough under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 4% of Hillsborough, and over about 26% 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 5,000 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 Hillsborough?
The dominant planning zone in Hillsborough is Rural Landscape, though the suburb also includes Primary Production and Recreational Waterways.
Does Hillsborough have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Hillsborough.
What is the typical lot size in Hillsborough?
Across 26 surveyed parcels in Hillsborough, the median lot size is about 80,650 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Hillsborough?
At the 2021 Census Hillsborough had 50 usual residents, with a median age of 46 and an average household size of 3.1 people. The wider Rutherford (North) - Aberglasslyn statistical area, which contains Hillsborough, went from 7,624 people in 2001 to 19,954 in 2025, up 162%.
Is Hillsborough an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Hillsborough scores 1072 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 9 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 $2,333 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,015 for the typical suburb in Maitland. Median rent was $550 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,492 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gosforth | 2.3 km | 47% | 99% |
| Rosebrook | 3.6 km | 9% | 100% |
| Windermere | 5.2 km | 42% | 99% |
| Anambah | 5.5 km | 41% | 97% |
| Dalwood Singleton |
5.5 km | <1% | 93% |
| Luskintyre | 5.8 km | 42% | 99% |
| Melville | 6.3 km | 48% | 100% |
| Webbers Creek Dungog |
6.5 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Windella | 6.5 km | <1% | 58% |
| Lambs Valley Singleton |
7.5 km | 2% | 100% |