How the Hills changes from south to north
A loose boundary
There's no official line, but the Hills District is usually taken as the M2 north to the Hawkesbury River, between Old Windsor Road and Pennant Hills Road. It takes in Baulkham Hills, Castle Hill, Kellyville, Rouse Hill, Bella Vista, Glenhaven, Dural and Kenthurst, mostly within The Hills Shire.
Higher ground, a bit more rain
The rise in the land squeezes extra rain out of onshore winds, so the district gets slightly more than the rest of Sydney.
Bush blocks in the Rural North
The NSW RFS says blocks over 1 hectare are common in Kenthurst, Dural and Annangrove, often right against bushland. It expects major bush and grass fires mainly in the centre and north, where tall eucalypt forest grows. Fires were reported at Castle Hill as early as January 1939.
Houses, mostly
At the 2021 Census, 81.2% of homes in The Hills Shire were separate houses, and 46.1% were owned with a mortgage. Only 90 of the shire's roughly 380 square kilometres is urbanised.
Tree cover varies
NSW Government mapping puts Castle Hill, Baulkham Hills and Rouse Hill in the 20 to 30% canopy range, and Kellyville and Bella Vista in the 10 to 20% range.
A pre-season routine for homes near the bush
Check your status
Look up your address on the NSW RFS online tool, ask council for its bush fire prone land map, or check your Section 10.7 planning certificate.
Clear gutters by September
The RFS says the Hills fire season starts with north-westerly winds in late spring, around September and October, and recommends clearing litter from roofs, valleys and gutters beforehand. Have a gutter cleaner or roofer do anything above ground level.
Look at guards and gaps
RFS guidance says gutter and valley leaf guards should be non-combustible and installed to AS 3959. Its older guide to upgrading existing homes suggests sealing gaps over 3 mm or covering them with corrosion-resistant mesh no coarser than 2 mm.
Decide on upgrades
Upgrading an existing house for bushfire isn't required by law, but the RFS strongly recommends it. Maps change over time, so check with council before you start.
Slopes, second storeys and new builds
On a sloping block or a two-storey house, a fair part of any quote is getting safely to the roof: scaffolding, edge protection or a lift. Ask whether that's included, because it's often why two quotes for the same job look so different. Monier lists roof size, pitch, sarking and the material itself as the main drivers of a new tiled roof's cost.
In the growth suburbs of the south-west, many roofs are only a few years old. If yours is leaking and the house is new, start with the builder; our Kellyville page explains how NSW warranties work.
If it were our Hills roof
Near the bush, we'd get the gutters done and the guards sorted before September, every year. On an established house in Castle Hill or Baulkham Hills, we'd book a roof inspection every few years and fix ridge and valley problems while they're small. Tell us the job and postcode and we'll pass it to one licence-checked roofer covering your part of the Hills, if we have one; if not, we'll say so up front.
Want a roofer to take a look?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match it with a Find My Roofer certified roofer who specialises in that kind of work, and they call you to quote. Your number goes to them alone.