Walcha flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Walcha
(Walcha, NSW) - 3249.77 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
3249.77 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Walcha'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 Walcha
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: observed, lowest 8,000 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.
Walcha at a glance
How Walcha is zoned
Buying in Walcha? 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 3249.77 km², Walcha 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 38 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Primary Production. The median lot measures about 167,418 m² across 5,289 parcels.
Who lives in Walcha
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Walcha 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 966, and decile 4 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Walcha's 2,475 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Walcha, the wider ABS statistical area containing Walcha. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Walcha itself.
3,454 in 2001 to 3,131 in 2025, down 9%.
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.
Walcha 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 Walcha 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 Walcha lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Walcha planning - frequently asked
Is Walcha flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Walcha and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay.
Is Walcha bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Walcha is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Walcha average of 100%.
Is Walcha under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed over about 2% of Walcha in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 6,500 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 Walcha?
The dominant planning zone in Walcha is Primary Production, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Primary Production Small Lots.
Does Walcha have heritage-listed places?
Walcha has 38 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Walcha?
Across 5,289 surveyed parcels in Walcha, the median lot size is about 167,418 m². There are also 51 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Walcha have a train station?
There is no train station inside Walcha itself. The suburb is served by 74 bus stops.
What is the population of Walcha?
At the 2021 Census Walcha had 2,475 usual residents, with a median age of 49 and an average household size of 2.2 people. The wider Walcha statistical area, which contains Walcha, went from 3,454 people in 2001 to 3,131 in 2025, down 9%.
Is Walcha an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Walcha scores 966 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).
What is the median household income in Walcha?
Median household income in Walcha was $1,220 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,247 for the typical suburb in Walcha. Median rent was $203 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,083 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walcha Road | 30.1 km | 0% | 100% |
| Wollun Uralla |
34.0 km | 0% | 21% |
| Weabonga Tamworth Regional |
34.2 km | 0% | 100% |
| Salisbury Plains Uralla |
35.2 km | Not mapped | 34% |
| Woolbrook | 35.6 km | 0% | 100% |
| Yarrowitch | 37.3 km | Not mapped | 100% |
| Kentucky South Uralla |
38.1 km | 0% | 5% |
| Niangala | 41.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Limbri Tamworth Regional |
41.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Mihi Uralla |
42.7 km | Not mapped | 55% |