Areas / Greater Geelong / Herne Hill

Herne Hill flood map & planning overlays

Herne Hill's median local is 36, joint 6th-youngest in Greater Geelong.

A planning-constraint profile of Herne Hill (Greater Geelong, VIC) - 1.52 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is relatively unconstrained.
Profile updated 24 October 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Herne 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 Herne Hill

The ANEF contour is a published planning forecast and observed overflight is what a sampled tracking feed recorded - neither describes any individual property.

Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 24 Oct 2026

Under observed aircraft
100%
of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft
Below 3,000 ft
95%
of the suburb's area
Lowest measured
500 ft
averaging 2,500 ft
Busiest square
~1 a day
1 a day below 3,000 ft · ±21% · area average
typical observed square 1 a day

Night movements: observed, lowest 2,500 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.

How this is measured

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.

Herne Hill at a glance

Parcels 2,227 Median lot 541 m² Mapped easements 605 Bus stops 17

How Herne Hill is zoned

Neighbourhood Residential Zone (NRZ8) 80%
Public Park and Recreation Zone (PPRZ) 9%
Public Use Zone (PUZ5) 6%
Transport Zone (TRZ1) 2%
Transport Zone (TRZ2) 2%
Public Use Zone (PUZ1) 1%

Selling in Herne Hill? The zoning and planning overlays on this page are the controls a Section 32 vendor statement discloses.

Across its 1.52 km², Herne Hill is relatively unconstrained by planning overlays. About 4% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 5 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Neighbourhood Residential Zone (NRZ8). The median lot measures about 541 m² across 2,227 parcels.

Who lives in Herne Hill

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Herne Hill suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population
3,507
usual residents, 2021
Median age
36
years
Median household income
$1,420
per week, Greater Geelong suburb typical $1,670
Median rent
$270
per week, Greater Geelong suburb typical $350
Median mortgage
$1,733
per month
Household size
2.1
people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 5
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 984, and decile 4 within Victoria. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 5
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Herne Hill's 3,507 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 6.6%
5-14 10.5%
15-19 3.9%
20-24 6.9%
25-34 18.7%
35-44 14.5%
45-54 11.9%
55-64 11.2%
65-74 8.1%
75-84 5.3%
85+ 2.6%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Geelong West - Hamlyn Heights, the wider ABS statistical area containing Herne Hill. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Herne Hill itself.

18,634 in 2001 to 22,415 in 2025, up 20%.

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.

Herne Hill data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services
ZoningMappedVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)

Profile last materially updated 24 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 Herne 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.

See what's in the $9 report →

Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 95% of Herne Hill. 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 the indicative soil reactivity range to expect for a Herne Hill lot.

Herne Hill planning - frequently asked

Is Herne Hill flood-prone?

About 4% of Herne Hill falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 18%.

Is Herne Hill bushfire-prone?

Bushfire mapping covers Herne Hill and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone (the Greater Geelong average is 50%).

Is Herne Hill under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 95% of Herne Hill, and over about 100% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 24 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 2,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 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 Herne Hill?

The dominant planning zone in Herne Hill is Neighbourhood Residential Zone (NRZ8), though the suburb also includes Public Park and Recreation Zone (PPRZ) and Public Use Zone (PUZ5).

Does Herne Hill have heritage-listed places?

Herne Hill has 5 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Herne Hill?

Across 2,227 surveyed parcels in Herne Hill, the median lot size is about 541 m². There are also 605 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Herne Hill have a train station?

There is no train station inside Herne Hill itself. The suburb is served by 17 bus stops.

What is the population of Herne Hill?

At the 2021 Census Herne Hill had 3,507 usual residents, with a median age of 36 and an average household size of 2.1 people. The wider Geelong West - Hamlyn Heights statistical area, which contains Herne Hill, went from 18,634 people in 2001 to 22,415 in 2025, up 20%.

Is Herne Hill an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Herne Hill scores 984 and sits in decile 5 of 10 nationally and decile 4 within Victoria (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Herne Hill?

Median household income in Herne Hill was $1,420 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,670 for the typical suburb in Greater Geelong. Median rent was $270 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,733 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Manifold Heights 0.9 km <1% 0%
Hamlyn Heights 1.8 km 16% 26%
Geelong West 2.0 km 11% 0%
Newtown (Geelong) 2.4 km 24% 11%
Drumcondra 2.7 km <1% 0%
Fyansford 2.9 km 19% 86%
Rippleside 3.0 km 1% 0%
North Geelong 3.3 km 13% <1%
Bell Park 3.4 km 22% 7%
Geelong 3.8 km 6% 0%

See all Greater Geelong suburb profiles →