Upper Colo flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Upper Colo
(Hawkesbury, NSW) - 55.71 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
55.71 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Upper Colo'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 Upper Colo
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
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.
Upper Colo at a glance
How Upper Colo is zoned
Buying in Upper Colo? 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 55.71 km², Upper Colo is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 152,875 m² across 91 parcels.
Who lives in Upper Colo
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Upper Colo 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 1044, and decile 8 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Bilpin - Colo - St Albans, the wider ABS statistical area containing Upper Colo. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Upper Colo 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.
Upper Colo 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 Upper Colo 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 8% of Upper Colo. 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 Upper Colo. 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 Upper Colo lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Upper Colo planning - frequently asked
Is Upper Colo flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Upper Colo and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 24%). Published flood models are held over parts of Upper Colo; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.
Is Upper Colo bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Upper Colo is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Hawkesbury average of 84%.
Is Upper Colo under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 8% of Upper Colo, and over about 26% 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 5,500 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 Upper Colo?
The dominant planning zone in Upper Colo is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Environmental Living and Environmental Conservation.
Does Upper Colo have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Upper Colo.
What is the typical lot size in Upper Colo?
Across 91 surveyed parcels in Upper Colo, the median lot size is about 152,875 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Is Upper Colo an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Upper Colo scores 1044 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 8 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Colo | 5.6 km | 0% | 100% |
| Wheeny Creek | 6.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Mountain Lagoon | 8.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Colo | 9.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Kurrajong | 10.7 km | 0% | 98% |
| Blaxlands Ridge | 11.1 km | 5% | 100% |
| The Slopes | 12.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Kurrajong Hills | 12.9 km | 0% | 100% |
| East Kurrajong | 13.2 km | 9% | 100% |
| Tennyson | 13.3 km | 0% | 98% |