Mcgraths Hill flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Mcgraths Hill
(Hawkesbury, NSW) - 3.09 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
3.09 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Mcgraths Hill's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Amber hatching is the published aircraft noise (ANEF) contour. 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 Mcgraths Hill
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.
Inside an aircraft noise contour
3% of the suburb's land sits inside a published ANEF or airport-environs contour. Contours vary street by street, so whether a particular lot is inside one needs a property-level check.
Highest contour present
Under AS 2021, land between ANEF 20 and 25 is conditionally acceptable for houses, usually with noise attenuation built in. The contour is a forecast, not a measurement at any one house.
Contours held
- Defence Airfields ANEF
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026
typical observed square 2 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 500 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.
Mcgraths Hill at a glance
How Mcgraths Hill is zoned
Buying in Mcgraths Hill? 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 3.09 km², Mcgraths Hill is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 100% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 59% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 6 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production Small Lots. The median lot measures about 580 m² across 933 parcels.
Who lives in Mcgraths Hill
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Mcgraths Hill 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 1014, and decile 6 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Mcgraths Hill's 2,537 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Pitt Town - McGraths Hill, the wider ABS statistical area containing Mcgraths Hill. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Mcgraths Hill itself.
8,997 in 2001 to 12,591 in 2025, up 40%.
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.
Mcgraths Hill 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) | Inside a held contour | 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 Mcgraths Hill 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 87% of Mcgraths Hill. 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 Mcgraths Hill. 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 Mcgraths Hill lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Mcgraths Hill planning - frequently asked
Is Mcgraths Hill flood-prone?
About 100% of Mcgraths Hill falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 24%. Published flood models are held over parts of Mcgraths Hill; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Mcgraths Hill bushfire-prone?
Around 59% of Mcgraths Hill is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Hawkesbury average of 84%.
Is Mcgraths Hill affected by aircraft noise?
About 3% of Mcgraths Hill sits inside a published aircraft noise contour, and the highest contour present is ANEF 20 - under AS 2021, land between ANEF 20 and 25 is conditionally acceptable for houses, usually with noise attenuation in the build. ANEF contours are forecasts published per airport and used to control noise-sensitive development; they are not a measurement at any one house, and a property can sit under a flight path and outside every contour.
Is Mcgraths Hill under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 87% of Mcgraths Hill, and over about 88% 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 500 ft, with an average of 1,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 11 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 Mcgraths Hill?
The dominant planning zone in Mcgraths Hill is Primary Production Small Lots, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Rural Landscape.
Does Mcgraths Hill have heritage-listed places?
Mcgraths Hill has 6 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Mcgraths Hill?
Across 933 surveyed parcels in Mcgraths Hill, the median lot size is about 580 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Mcgraths Hill have a train station?
There is no train station inside Mcgraths Hill itself. The suburb is served by 68 bus stops.
What is the population of Mcgraths Hill?
At the 2021 Census Mcgraths Hill had 2,537 usual residents, with a median age of 34 and an average household size of 2.9 people. The wider Pitt Town - McGraths Hill statistical area, which contains Mcgraths Hill, went from 8,997 people in 2001 to 12,591 in 2025, up 40%.
Is Mcgraths Hill an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Mcgraths Hill scores 1014 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).
What is the median household income in Mcgraths Hill?
Median household income in Mcgraths Hill was $2,177 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,160 for the typical suburb in Hawkesbury. Median rent was $450 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,392 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mulgrave | 1.8 km | 91% | 54% |
| Windsor | 2.7 km | 90% | 18% |
| Oakville | 3.0 km | 23% | 95% |
| Pitt Town Bottoms | 3.0 km | 100% | 18% |
| Vineyard | 3.8 km | 72% | 88% |
| South Windsor | 4.0 km | 80% | 54% |
| Pitt Town | 4.2 km | 66% | 71% |
| Cornwallis | 4.3 km | 100% | 22% |
| Scheyville | 4.6 km | 13% | 100% |
| Clarendon | 5.0 km | 100% | 29% |