Lower Macdonald flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Lower Macdonald
(Hawkesbury, NSW) - 10.56 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
10.56 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Lower 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 Lower 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
typical observed square 1 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 7,000 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.
Lower Macdonald at a glance
How Lower Macdonald is zoned
Buying in Lower 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 10.56 km², Lower Macdonald is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 2% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 99% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 15 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Environmental Living. The median lot measures about 775 m² across 272 parcels.
Who lives in Lower Macdonald
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Lower 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 930, and decile 2 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Lower Macdonald's 244 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Bilpin - Colo - St Albans, the wider ABS statistical area containing Lower Macdonald. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Lower 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.
Lower 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 Lower 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 22% of Lower Macdonald. 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 Lower Macdonald. 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 Lower Macdonald lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Lower Macdonald planning - frequently asked
Is Lower Macdonald flood-prone?
About 2% of Lower Macdonald falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 24%. Published flood models are held over parts of Lower Macdonald; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Lower Macdonald bushfire-prone?
Around 99% of Lower Macdonald is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Hawkesbury average of 84%.
Is Lower Macdonald under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 22% of Lower Macdonald, and over about 43% 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 Lower Macdonald?
The dominant planning zone in Lower Macdonald is Environmental Living, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Village.
Does Lower Macdonald have heritage-listed places?
Lower Macdonald has 15 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Lower Macdonald?
Across 272 surveyed parcels in Lower Macdonald, the median lot size is about 775 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Lower Macdonald have a train station?
There is no train station inside Lower Macdonald itself. The suburb is served by 14 bus stops.
What is the population of Lower Macdonald?
At the 2021 Census Lower Macdonald had 244 usual residents, with a median age of 53 and an average household size of 2.0 people. The wider Bilpin - Colo - St Albans statistical area, which contains Lower Macdonald, went from 2,518 people in 2001 to 2,781 in 2025, up 10%.
Is Lower Macdonald an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Lower Macdonald 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 Lower Macdonald?
Median household income in Lower Macdonald was $1,278 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,160 for the typical suburb in Hawkesbury. Median rent was $310 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,907 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Macdonald | 2.6 km | 0% | 100% |
| Wisemans Ferry Hornsby |
4.3 km | 35% | 86% |
| Webbs Creek | 6.3 km | 1% | 100% |
| Leets Vale The Hills Shire |
7.6 km | 28% | 96% |
| Gunderman Central Coast |
9.0 km | 9% | 96% |
| Laughtondale Hornsby |
10.3 km | 19% | 91% |
| Wrights Creek | 10.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Maroota The Hills Shire |
11.1 km | <1% | 93% |
| Lower Portland The Hills Shire |
11.5 km | 20% | 97% |
| Ten Mile Hollow | 11.7 km | 0% | 100% |