The Hill flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of The Hill
(Newcastle, NSW) - 0.62 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is relatively unconstrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
0.62 km² - this suburb is relatively unconstrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to The Hill'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 The 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.
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026
typical observed square 1 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 8,500 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.
The Hill at a glance
How The Hill is zoned
Buying in The 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 0.62 km², The Hill is relatively unconstrained by planning overlays. About 4% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 4% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 72 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Low Density Residential. The median lot measures about 531 m² across 543 parcels.
Who lives in The Hill
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the The 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 1092, and decile 10 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of The Hill's 2,076 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Newcastle - Cooks Hill, the wider ABS statistical area containing The Hill. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than The Hill itself.
8,459 in 2001 to 14,632 in 2025, up 73%.
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.
The 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) | 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 The 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 100% of The 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 The 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 The Hill lot.
See what's in the $9 report →The Hill planning - frequently asked
Is The Hill flood-prone?
About 4% of The Hill falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 39%. Published flood models are held over parts of The Hill; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is The Hill bushfire-prone?
Around 4% of The Hill is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Newcastle average of 24%.
Is The Hill under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of The Hill, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 1,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 2 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 The Hill?
The dominant planning zone in The Hill is Low Density Residential, though the suburb also includes Medium Density Residential and Public Recreation.
Does The Hill have heritage-listed places?
The Hill has 72 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in The Hill?
Across 543 surveyed parcels in The Hill, the median lot size is about 531 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does The Hill have a train station?
There is no train station inside The Hill itself. The suburb is served by 19 bus stops.
What is the population of The Hill?
At the 2021 Census The Hill had 2,076 usual residents, with a median age of 34 and an average household size of 2.0 people. The wider Newcastle - Cooks Hill statistical area, which contains The Hill, went from 8,459 people in 2001 to 14,632 in 2025, up 73%.
Is The Hill an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), The Hill scores 1092 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 The Hill?
Median household income in The Hill was $1,849 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,818 for the typical suburb in Newcastle. Median rent was $390 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,167 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cooks Hill | 0.7 km | 49% | 0% |
| Bar Beach | 0.9 km | 18% | 0% |
| Newcastle West | 1.2 km | 63% | 0% |
| The Junction | 1.5 km | 83% | 0% |
| Newcastle East | 1.6 km | 34% | 0% |
| Hamilton East | 2.0 km | 80% | 0% |
| Wickham | 2.3 km | 88% | 0% |
| Newcastle | 2.4 km | 83% | 0% |
| Carrington | 2.4 km | 81% | 0% |
| Hamilton South | 2.6 km | 67% | 0% |