Mount Colah flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Mount Colah
(Hornsby, NSW) - 11.44 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
11.44 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Mount Colah'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 Mount Colah
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 4 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 1,500 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.
Mount Colah at a glance
How Mount Colah is zoned
Buying in Mount Colah? 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 11.44 km², Mount Colah is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 86% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 9 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 779 m² across 2,505 parcels.
Who lives in Mount Colah
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Mount Colah 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 1104, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Mount Colah's 7,816 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Asquith - Mount Colah, the wider ABS statistical area containing Mount Colah. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Mount Colah itself.
18,145 in 2001 to 23,527 in 2025, up 30%.
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.
Mount Colah 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 Mount Colah 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 82% of Mount Colah. 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 Mount Colah. 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 Mount Colah lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Mount Colah planning - frequently asked
Is Mount Colah flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Mount Colah and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 10%). Published flood models are held over parts of Mount Colah; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Mount Colah bushfire-prone?
Around 86% of Mount Colah is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Hornsby average of 70%.
Is Mount Colah under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 82% of Mount Colah, and over about 100% 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 5,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 83 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 Mount Colah?
The dominant planning zone in Mount Colah is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Low Density Residential and Infrastructure.
Does Mount Colah have heritage-listed places?
Mount Colah has 9 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Mount Colah?
Across 2,505 surveyed parcels in Mount Colah, the median lot size is about 779 m². There are also 49 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Mount Colah have a train station?
Yes - Mount Colah has 1 train station: Mount Colah Station. It is also served by 157 bus stops.
What is the population of Mount Colah?
At the 2021 Census Mount Colah had 7,816 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.9 people. The wider Asquith - Mount Colah statistical area, which contains Mount Colah, went from 18,145 people in 2001 to 23,527 in 2025, up 30%.
Is Mount Colah an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Mount Colah scores 1104 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Mount Colah?
Median household income in Mount Colah was $2,505 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,468 for the typical suburb in Hornsby. Median rent was $525 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,544 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hornsby Heights | 1.9 km | 2% | 94% |
| Asquith | 2.6 km | 0% | 52% |
| Mount Kuring-Gai | 2.8 km | 2% | 96% |
| North Wahroonga Ku-Ring-Gai |
3.8 km | 2% | 87% |
| Hornsby | 4.1 km | 0% | 50% |
| North Turramurra Ku-Ring-Gai |
4.4 km | <1% | 86% |
| Waitara | 5.0 km | 0% | 0% |
| Galston | 5.2 km | <1% | 82% |
| Berowra | 5.3 km | 0% | 87% |
| St Ives Chase Ku-Ring-Gai |
6.2 km | Not mapped | 75% |