Cow Flat flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Cow Flat
(Bathurst Regional, NSW) - 36.73 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 26 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
36.73 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Cow Flat'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 Cow Flat
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 25 Sep 2026
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.
Cow Flat at a glance
How Cow Flat is zoned
Buying in Cow Flat? 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 36.73 km², Cow Flat 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 is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 161,389 m² across 103 parcels.
Who lives in Cow Flat
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Cow Flat 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 1072, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Cow Flat's 58 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Bathurst Surrounds, the wider ABS statistical area containing Cow Flat. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Cow Flat itself.
6,058 in 2001 to 7,094 in 2025, up 17%.
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.
Cow Flat 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 26 September 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 Cow Flat 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.
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 Cow Flat lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Cow Flat planning - frequently asked
Is Cow Flat flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Cow Flat and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 3%).
Is Cow Flat bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Cow Flat is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Bathurst Regional average of 91%.
Is Cow Flat under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 3% of Cow Flat in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 8,000 ft. 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 Cow Flat?
The dominant planning zone in Cow Flat is Primary Production.
Does Cow Flat have heritage-listed places?
Cow Flat has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Cow Flat?
Across 103 surveyed parcels in Cow Flat, the median lot size is about 161,389 m². There are also 3 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Cow Flat have a train station?
There is no train station inside Cow Flat itself. The suburb is served by 6 bus stops.
What is the population of Cow Flat?
At the 2021 Census Cow Flat had 58 usual residents, with a median age of 51 and an average household size of 2.8 people. The wider Bathurst Surrounds statistical area, which contains Cow Flat, went from 6,058 people in 2001 to 7,094 in 2025, up 17%.
Is Cow Flat an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Cow Flat scores 1072 and sits in decile 10 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Cow Flat?
Median household income in Cow Flat was $2,249 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,006 for the typical suburb in Bathurst Regional. Median rent was $120 a week and the median mortgage repayment $3,267 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rockley Mount | 4.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Georges Plains | 5.5 km | <1% | 100% |
| Fosters Valley | 5.9 km | 0% | 100% |
| Wimbledon | 8.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Perthville | 9.6 km | 4% | 99% |
| The Lagoon Oberon |
10.1 km | 0% | 98% |
| Caloola | 10.7 km | 0% | 91% |
| Fitzgeralds Valley | 12.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Tannas Mount | 12.5 km | 0% | 98% |
| Orton Park | 13.0 km | 18% | 100% |