Cougal flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Cougal
(Kyogle, NSW) - 35.91 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
35.91 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Cougal'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 Cougal
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 1 a day
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.
Cougal at a glance
How Cougal is zoned
Buying in Cougal? 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 35.91 km², Cougal 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 23 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is National Parks and Nature Reserves. The median lot measures about 114,705 m² across 43 parcels.
Who lives in Cougal
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Cougal 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 967, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Kyogle, the wider ABS statistical area containing Cougal. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Cougal itself.
7,822 in 2001 to 7,785 in 2025, down 0%.
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.
Cougal 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 Cougal 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 3% of Cougal. 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 Cougal lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Cougal planning - frequently asked
Is Cougal flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Cougal and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 4%).
Is Cougal bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Cougal is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Kyogle average of 100%.
Is Cougal under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 3% of Cougal, and over about 50% 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 2,000 ft, with an average of 5,500 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 Cougal?
The dominant planning zone in Cougal is National Parks and Nature Reserves, though the suburb also includes Primary Production and Natural Waterways.
Does Cougal have heritage-listed places?
Cougal has 23 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Cougal?
Across 43 surveyed parcels in Cougal, the median lot size is about 114,705 m². There are also 1 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Is Cougal an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Cougal scores 967 and sits in decile 4 of 10 nationally and decile 4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Loadstone | 3.6 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Gradys Creek | 5.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Border Ranges | 8.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Findon Creek | 10.2 km | 0% | 100% |
| Lynchs Creek | 10.7 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Warrazambil Creek | 10.9 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Old Grevillia | 13.6 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| The Risk | 13.6 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Collins Creek | 14.4 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Rukenvale | 15.3 km | Not mapped | 100% |