Lake Cowal flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Lake Cowal
(Bland, NSW) - 444.18 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
444.18 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Lake Cowal's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Lake Cowal at a glance
How Lake Cowal is zoned
Buying in Lake Cowal? 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 444.18 km², Lake Cowal is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 76% 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 645,128 m² across 287 parcels.
Who lives in Lake Cowal
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Lake Cowal 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 1021, and decile 7 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of West Wyalong, the wider ABS statistical area containing Lake Cowal. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Lake Cowal itself.
6,584 in 2001 to 5,420 in 2025, down 18%.
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.
Lake Cowal 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 | Watched, not yet sampled here | 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 Lake Cowal 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.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Lake Cowal lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Lake Cowal planning - frequently asked
Is Lake Cowal flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Lake Cowal and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay.
Is Lake Cowal bushfire-prone?
Around 76% of Lake Cowal is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Bland average of 94%.
What is the zoning in Lake Cowal?
The dominant planning zone in Lake Cowal is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes Infrastructure and Forestry.
Does Lake Cowal have heritage-listed places?
Lake Cowal has 1 heritage-listed place on record.
What is the typical lot size in Lake Cowal?
Across 287 surveyed parcels in Lake Cowal, the median lot size is about 645,128 m². There are also 3 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Is Lake Cowal an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Lake Cowal scores 1021 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 7 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Back Creek | 21.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Corinella Forbes |
21.5 km | 0% | 11% |
| Girral | 22.3 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Burcher Lachlan |
23.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Wyalong | 27.5 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Wirrinya Forbes |
32.6 km | 0% | 31% |
| Caragabal Weddin |
33.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| West Wyalong | 35.8 km | Not mapped | 99% |
| Pullabooka Weddin |
36.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Fairholme Lachlan |
38.8 km | 0% | 100% |