Benowa flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Benowa (Gold Coast City, QLD) - 6.55 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Everything below is suburb-wide. Overlays change block to block - see which ones actually touch your lot. The map is free.
Constraint readout
6.55 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Benowa's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. It shows where constraints fall; the interactive map shows them on your exact address.
Benowa flood risk at the property level
Overlay percentages say how much land is constrained; these figures say how many properties are actually touched, from our lot-by-lot analysis of 4,412 Benowa properties.
Lot-level readout
Flood-risk rating across all 4,412 properties
From LayeredGeo's lot-risk engine: council flood overlays, historical flooding and terrain, resolved to each individual lot in Benowa.
Benowa at a glance
How Benowa is zoned
Selling in Benowa? The lot-level zone is the zoning Part 3 of Queensland's Form 2 seller disclosure statement asks for - see our Form 2 planning data guide.
Across its 6.55 km², Benowa is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 87% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 6% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 2 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Special purpose. The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 673 m² across 3,768 parcels. These figures are suburb-wide - the overlays that actually apply to a given lot can differ block to block, which is what a property-level check tells you.
Who lives in Benowa
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Benowa 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 1053, and decile 10 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Benowa's 9,889 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Benowa, the wider ABS statistical area containing Benowa. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Benowa itself.
6,721 in 2001 to 10,728 in 2025, up 60%.
Source: Australian Bureau of Statistics. Census of Population and Housing 2021 (General Community Profile) and SEIFA 2021, both published at the Suburbs and Localities level; Regional Population (estimated resident population) at Statistical Area Level 2. Used under CC BY 4.0. Census counts of small populations are randomly adjusted by the ABS to protect confidentiality, so figures for small suburbs are indicative.
Check a specific Benowa 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.
See what's in the $9 report →Benowa planning - frequently asked
Where can I see a flood map of Benowa?
The schematic on this page is a Benowa flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid, covering about 87% of the suburb. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Benowa address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.
Is Benowa flood-prone?
About 87% of Benowa falls within a mapped flood overlay, against a Gold Coast City average of 49%. Looking lot by lot, 61% of the 4,412 properties we analysed in Benowa carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 2417 rated high risk or historically affected. Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.
Is Benowa bushfire-prone?
Yes - around 6% of Benowa is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Gold Coast City average of 48%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.
What is the zoning in Benowa?
The dominant planning zone in Benowa is Special purpose, though the suburb also includes Low density residential and Open space. Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.
Does Benowa have heritage-listed places?
Benowa has 2 heritage-listed places on record. Heritage listing affects what you can alter or demolish, so confirm whether a specific property is listed or near a heritage place.
Is Benowa hilly or flat?
Benowa is gently undulating: the median lot slope is about 6%, and 2% of properties sit on slopes of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 0 m to 24 m AHD across the suburb. Slope drives site costs - cut and fill, retaining walls and driveway grades - so it is worth knowing before you commit to a sloping block.
What is the typical lot size in Benowa?
Across 3,768 surveyed parcels in Benowa, the median lot size is about 673 m². There are also 323 registered easements mapped in the suburb - an easement can restrict where you can build, so always check the title and overlays for the specific lot.
Does Benowa have a train station?
There is no train station inside Benowa itself. The suburb is served by 17 bus stops.
What is the population of Benowa?
At the 2021 Census Benowa had 9,889 usual residents, with a median age of 44 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Benowa statistical area, which contains Benowa, went from 6,721 people in 2001 to 10,728 in 2025, up 60%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Benowa alone.
Is Benowa an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Benowa scores 1053 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within Queensland - decile 1 being the most disadvantaged tenth of Australian suburbs and decile 10 the least. The national average score is 1000. SEIFA summarises income, education, occupation and housing across the whole suburb, so it describes the area, not any particular household in it.
What is the median household income in Benowa?
Median household income in Benowa was $1,918 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,830 for the typical suburb in Gold Coast City. Median rent was $580 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,167 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.
Do I need a planning report for a Benowa property?
A Benowa planning report pulls every overlay - zoning, flood, bushfire, heritage and environmental - that touches a single lot, on live council and state data. The interactive map preview is free; a full PDF report is $9.