Horseshoe Bend flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Horseshoe Bend
(Maitland, NSW) - 1.02 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
1.02 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Horseshoe Bend'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 Horseshoe Bend
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 26 Sep 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.
Horseshoe Bend at a glance
How Horseshoe Bend is zoned
Buying in Horseshoe Bend? 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 1.02 km², Horseshoe Bend is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 100% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 75% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 9 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 447 m² across 377 parcels.
Who lives in Horseshoe Bend
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Horseshoe Bend 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 885, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Horseshoe Bend's 427 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Maitland, the wider ABS statistical area containing Horseshoe Bend. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Horseshoe Bend 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.
Horseshoe Bend 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 26 September 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 Horseshoe Bend 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 59% of Horseshoe Bend. 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 Horseshoe Bend lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Horseshoe Bend planning - frequently asked
Is Horseshoe Bend flood-prone?
About 100% of Horseshoe Bend falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 50%.
Is Horseshoe Bend bushfire-prone?
Around 75% of Horseshoe Bend is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Maitland average of 80%.
Is Horseshoe Bend under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 59% of Horseshoe Bend, and over about 81% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 26 Sep 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 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 Horseshoe Bend?
The dominant planning zone in Horseshoe Bend is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes General Residential and Recreational Waterways.
Does Horseshoe Bend have heritage-listed places?
Horseshoe Bend has 9 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Horseshoe Bend?
Across 377 surveyed parcels in Horseshoe Bend, the median lot size is about 447 m².
What is the population of Horseshoe Bend?
At the 2021 Census Horseshoe Bend had 427 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Maitland statistical area, which contains Horseshoe Bend, went from 3,843 people in 2001 to 9,805 in 2025, up 155%.
Is Horseshoe Bend an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Horseshoe Bend scores 885 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Horseshoe Bend?
Median household income in Horseshoe Bend was $1,375 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,015 for the typical suburb in Maitland. Median rent was $330 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,344 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lorn | 1.0 km | 86% | 86% |
| South Maitland | 1.2 km | 100% | 70% |
| Maitland | 1.3 km | 79% | 52% |
| Pitnacree | 2.4 km | 100% | 98% |
| Mount Dee | 2.6 km | 98% | 99% |
| Telarah | 2.8 km | 38% | 28% |
| Bolwarra | 2.9 km | 68% | 72% |
| East Maitland | 3.3 km | 27% | 55% |
| Oakhampton Heights | 3.4 km | 46% | 96% |
| Oakhampton | 3.4 km | 76% | 99% |