Bowen Hills flood map & planning overlays
A median age of 30, joint 7th-youngest in Brisbane City. A young crowd on the city fringe.
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A planning-constraint profile of Bowen Hills
(Brisbane City, QLD) - 1.72 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 7 November 2026.
Constraint readout
1.72 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Bowen Hills'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
How common is mapped flood risk across Bowen Hills properties?
Counts of properties, not share of land, across 4,217 analysed Bowen Hills properties; no individual property result is identified.
Lot-level readout
Flood-risk rating across all 4,217 properties
From LayeredGeo's lot-risk engine: council flood overlays, historical flooding and terrain, resolved to each individual lot in Bowen Hills.
Has Bowen Hills flooded? Flood history and overland flow
Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Bowen Hills: 474 of the 4,217 properties we analysed (11.2%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (February 2022: 427, Historic Flood 1974: 419, January 2011: 326). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.
Suburb-wide totals across 4,217 analysed properties; they do not identify or describe any individual property.
Recorded historical flood mapping
474 analysed properties intersect at least one mapped historical event extent.
- February 2022: 427
- Historic Flood 1974: 419
- January 2011: 326
Mapped overland flow
1,281 analysed properties carry a mapped overland-flow category.
- Low: 372
- Medium: 468
- High: 7
- Affected: 434
Source: Brisbane City Council flood mapping, aggregated by LayeredGeo. Categories are only shown where at least five analysed properties share them. An address-level check is still required to determine whether a particular lot is mapped.
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Bowen Hills
The ANEF contour is a published planning forecast and observed overflight is what a sampled tracking feed recorded - neither describes any individual property.
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 7 Nov 2026
typical observed square 1 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 500 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.
How this is measured
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.
Bowen Hills at a glance
Schools in and near Bowen Hills
Public school-location data shows availability across the suburb; it does not rate schools or assign any individual address to a catchment.
Inside the suburb boundary
0 schools providing primary years and 0 providing secondary years. A combined school may be counted in both teaching levels.
Nearest school availability
Primary: 0.23 km from the suburb boundary
Secondary: 0.02 km from the suburb boundary
Source: Queensland Government school geographic information. Catchment boundaries can divide a suburb and change over time; use the official catchment finder for a specific address.
How Bowen Hills is zoned
Selling in Bowen Hills? 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 1.72 km², Bowen Hills is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 49% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay. There are 29 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Priority Development Area - Part 10 of Brisbane City Plan 2014. The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 1,148 m² across 3,927 parcels.
Recent development applications in Bowen Hills
Applications are counted across the whole gazetted suburb from the public Brisbane City Council register. No application address or individual property is published here.
Submitted in the past 12 months
Latest included submission: 30 October 2026.
Previous 12 months: 5 (100% higher in the latest period).
Common application types
- Building work: 6
Counts depend on applications that the council publishes and that can be assigned to a suburb. Categories can overlap when one application covers several types. Totals below five and their latest dates are suppressed. Register last synchronised 7 November 2026. Check the official council register.
Who lives in Bowen Hills
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Bowen Hills 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 1060, and decile 10 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Bowen Hills's 4,898 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Newstead - Bowen Hills, the wider ABS statistical area containing Bowen Hills. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Bowen Hills itself.
3,736 in 2001 to 21,474 in 2025, up 475%.
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.
Bowen Hills property market snapshot
Queensland Government publishes this as a SA2 market series for Newstead - Bowen Hills, the wider statistical area containing Bowen Hills. It is not a valuation and is not specific to this suburb or any individual property.
House sales
Median sale price from 28 sales over 12 months to March 2026.
Unit sales
Median sale price from 890 sales over 12 months to March 2026.
Source: Queensland Government Statistician's Office (QGSO). View the source profile. The same SA2 figure can appear on several suburb pages within that statistical area.
Bowen Hills 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 | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Zoning | Mapped | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | the relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data, Defence |
| Observed flight paths | Observed | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
| School availability | Available | Queensland Government |
| Market statistics | Available at SA2 level | Queensland Government Statistician's Office (QGSO) |
| Development applications | Available as suburb totals | Brisbane City Council |
Profile last materially updated 7 November 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 Bowen Hills 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 →Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Bowen Hills. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Published flood models are held here: a Flood Model Report is available for about 4,200 Bowen Hills addresses (+$9 with the planning report).
The Terrain Report shows the fall of the block - contours, cross sections and a 3D model of the lot to spin round in your browser (+$9 with the planning report).
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and the indicative soil reactivity range to expect for a Bowen Hills lot.
Bowen Hills planning - frequently asked
Is Bowen Hills flood-prone?
About 49% of Bowen Hills falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 31%. Across the suburb, 30% of the 4,217 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 409 rated high risk or historically affected. Modelled flood depth, velocity and flood level are held for about 4,200 Bowen Hills addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.
Has Bowen Hills flooded?
Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Bowen Hills: 474 of the 4,217 properties we analysed (11.2%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (February 2022: 427, Historic Flood 1974: 419, January 2011: 326). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.
Is Bowen Hills bushfire-prone?
Bushfire mapping covers Bowen Hills and little to none of it is mapped as bushfire-prone (the Brisbane City average is 27%).
Is Bowen Hills under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Bowen Hills, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 7 Nov 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 1,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 3 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. 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 Bowen Hills?
The dominant planning zone in Bowen Hills is Priority Development Area - Part 10 of Brisbane City Plan 2014, though the suburb also includes Emerging community and Special purpose (Transport infrastructure).
Does Bowen Hills have heritage-listed places?
Bowen Hills has 29 heritage-listed places on record.
Is Bowen Hills hilly or flat?
Bowen Hills is gently undulating: the median ground slope is about 8%, and 16% of measured points sit on grades of 15% or steeper. Ground level runs from roughly 3 m to 37 m AHD across the suburb.
What is the typical lot size in Bowen Hills?
Across 3,927 surveyed parcels in Bowen Hills, the median lot size is about 1,148 m². There are also 253 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Bowen Hills have a train station?
Yes - Bowen Hills has 1 train station: Bowen Hills station. It is also served by 16 bus stops.
What is the population of Bowen Hills?
At the 2021 Census Bowen Hills had 4,898 usual residents, with a median age of 30 and an average household size of 1.6 people. The wider Newstead - Bowen Hills statistical area, which contains Bowen Hills, went from 3,736 people in 2001 to 21,474 in 2025, up 475%.
Is Bowen Hills an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Bowen Hills scores 1060 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 10 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Bowen Hills?
Median household income in Bowen Hills was $1,551 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,122 for the typical suburb in Brisbane City. Median rent was $390 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,614 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Newstead | 1.0 km | 94% | 0% |
| Windsor | 1.2 km | 44% | 6% |
| Albion | 1.3 km | 57% | 0% |
| Herston | 1.5 km | 30% | 0% |
| Fortitude Valley | 1.5 km | 32% | 0% |
| Teneriffe | 1.7 km | 50% | 0% |
| Wilston | 2.1 km | 29% | 9% |
| Spring Hill | 2.3 km | 6% | 0% |
| Bulimba | 2.4 km | 69% | 0% |
| Kelvin Grove | 2.5 km | 16% | 0% |