Lowanna flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Lowanna
(Coffs Harbour, NSW) - 158.81 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
158.81 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Lowanna'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 Lowanna
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
Night movements: observed, lowest 7,000 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.
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.
Lowanna at a glance
How Lowanna is zoned
Buying in Lowanna? 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 158.81 km², Lowanna 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 20 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Forestry. The median lot measures about 17,341 m² across 339 parcels.
Who lives in Lowanna
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Lowanna 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 818, and decile 1 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Lowanna's 359 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Dorrigo, the wider ABS statistical area containing Lowanna. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Lowanna itself.
3,473 in 2001 to 3,250 in 2025, down 6%.
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.
Lowanna 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 Lowanna 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 Lowanna lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Lowanna planning - frequently asked
Is Lowanna flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Lowanna and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 21%).
Is Lowanna bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Lowanna is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Coffs Harbour average of 88%.
Is Lowanna under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 11% of Lowanna in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 2,500 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 Lowanna?
The dominant planning zone in Lowanna is Forestry, though the suburb also includes Rural Landscape and Environmental Conservation.
Does Lowanna have heritage-listed places?
Lowanna has 20 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Lowanna?
Across 339 surveyed parcels in Lowanna, the median lot size is about 17,341 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Lowanna?
At the 2021 Census Lowanna had 359 usual residents, with a median age of 51 and an average household size of 2.1 people. The wider Dorrigo statistical area, which contains Lowanna, went from 3,473 people in 2001 to 3,250 in 2025, down 6%.
Is Lowanna an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Lowanna scores 818 and sits in decile 1 of 10 nationally and decile 1 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Lowanna?
Median household income in Lowanna was $820 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,550 for the typical suburb in Coffs Harbour. Median rent was $300 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,000 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ulong | 7.1 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Glenreagh Clarence Valley |
11.0 km | 8% | 99% |
| Cascade Bellingen |
11.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Towallum Clarence Valley |
12.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Nana Glen | 12.9 km | 22% | 98% |
| Coramba | 13.1 km | 11% | 100% |
| Wild Cattle Creek Clarence Valley |
13.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Brooklana | 13.6 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Upper Orara | 15.5 km | 7% | 100% |
| Megan Bellingen |
16.9 km | Not mapped | 100% |