Areas / Bayside / Highett

Highett flood map & planning overlays

Highett houses 12,016 people, 11.3% flood-mapped.

A planning-constraint profile of Highett (Bayside, VIC) - 3.67 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 Highett'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 Highett

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
100%
of the suburb's area
Lowest measured
500 ft
averaging 1,500 ft
Busiest square
~6 a day
6 a day below 3,000 ft · ±18%
typical observed square 3 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.

Highett at a glance

Parcels 8,140 Median lot 619 m² Mapped easements 1,752 Train Highett Station Bus stops 47

How Highett is zoned

Neighbourhood Residential Zone (NRZ3) 39%
PRZ1 29%
Public Park and Recreation Zone (PPRZ) 7%
Industrial 1 Zone (IN1Z) 6%
Neighbourhood Residential Zone (NRZ7) 5%
Transport Zone (TRZ2) 3%

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

Across its 3.67 km², Highett is relatively unconstrained by planning overlays. About 11% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 6 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Neighbourhood Residential Zone (NRZ3). The median lot measures about 619 m² across 8,140 parcels.

Who lives in Highett

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

Population
12,016
usual residents, 2021
Median age
40
years
Median household income
$2,119
per week, Bayside suburb typical $2,480
Median rent
$430
per week, Bayside suburb typical $520
Median mortgage
$2,300
per month
Household size
2.4
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 10
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1084, and decile 10 within Victoria. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 8
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Highett's 12,016 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 6.3%
5-14 12.1%
15-19 5.2%
20-24 4.7%
25-34 13.3%
35-44 15.8%
45-54 15.5%
55-64 11.0%
65-74 8.7%
75-84 5.0%
85+ 2.4%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Highett (West) - Cheltenham, the wider ABS statistical area containing Highett. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Highett itself.

9,657 in 2001 to 13,257 in 2025, up 37%.

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.

Highett 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 Highett 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 100% of Highett. 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 Highett lot.

Highett planning - frequently asked

Is Highett flood-prone?

About 11% of Highett falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 8%.

Is Highett bushfire-prone?

Bushfire mapping covers Highett and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone.

Is Highett under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Highett, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 24 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 6 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 Highett?

The dominant planning zone in Highett is Neighbourhood Residential Zone (NRZ3), though the suburb also includes PRZ1 and Public Park and Recreation Zone (PPRZ).

Does Highett have heritage-listed places?

Highett has 6 heritage-listed places on record.

What is the typical lot size in Highett?

Across 8,140 surveyed parcels in Highett, the median lot size is about 619 m². There are also 1,752 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

Does Highett have a train station?

Yes - Highett has 1 train station: Highett Station. It is also served by 47 bus stops.

What is the population of Highett?

At the 2021 Census Highett had 12,016 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Highett (West) - Cheltenham statistical area, which contains Highett, went from 9,657 people in 2001 to 13,257 in 2025, up 37%.

Is Highett an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Highett scores 1084 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within Victoria (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Highett?

Median household income in Highett was $2,119 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,480 for the typical suburb in Bayside. Median rent was $430 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,300 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Hampton East 1.6 km 14% 0%
Moorabbin
Kingston
1.9 km 10% 0%
Cheltenham
Kingston
1.9 km 6% 0%
Sandringham 2.4 km 4% 0%
Black Rock 2.9 km <1% 0%
Hampton 2.9 km 8% 0%
Bentleigh
Glen Eira
3.1 km 14% 0%
Beaumaris 3.6 km 8% 0%
Bentleigh East
Glen Eira
4.0 km 6% 0%
Mentone
Kingston
4.2 km 12% 0%

See all Bayside suburb profiles →