Upper Macdonald flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Upper Macdonald
(Hawkesbury, NSW) - 55.73 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
55.73 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Upper 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 Upper 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 0 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 6,000 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.
Upper Macdonald at a glance
How Upper Macdonald is zoned
Buying in Upper 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 55.73 km², Upper Macdonald 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. There are 3 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 119,283 m² across 83 parcels.
Who lives in Upper Macdonald
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Upper 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 1010, and decile 6 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 Macdonald. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Upper 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.
Upper 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 Upper 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 9% of Upper Macdonald. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Upper Macdonald lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Upper Macdonald planning - frequently asked
Is Upper Macdonald flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Upper Macdonald and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 24%).
Is Upper Macdonald bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Upper Macdonald is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Hawkesbury average of 84%.
Is Upper Macdonald under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 9% of Upper Macdonald, and over about 19% 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 4,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 0 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 Upper Macdonald?
The dominant planning zone in Upper Macdonald is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Environmental Living.
Does Upper Macdonald have heritage-listed places?
Upper Macdonald has 3 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Upper Macdonald?
Across 83 surveyed parcels in Upper Macdonald, the median lot size is about 119,283 m². There are also 10 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Upper Macdonald have a train station?
There is no train station inside Upper Macdonald itself. The suburb is served by 4 bus stops.
Is Upper Macdonald an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Upper Macdonald scores 1010 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).
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| St Albans | 8.0 km | 0% | 100% |
| Central Macdonald | 9.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Webbs Creek | 9.8 km | 1% | 100% |
| Higher Macdonald | 10.0 km | 0% | 100% |
| Perrys Crossing | 10.1 km | 0% | 100% |
| Fernances | 10.2 km | 0% | 100% |
| Wrights Creek | 12.1 km | 0% | 100% |
| Lower Macdonald | 12.2 km | 2% | 99% |
| Womerah | 12.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Ten Mile Hollow | 16.4 km | 0% | 100% |