Areas / Western Downs Regional / Chinchilla

Chinchilla flood map & planning overlays

Chinchilla has the smallest lots in Western Downs Regional, 883 m², and 7,068 residents.

A planning-constraint profile of Chinchilla (Western Downs Regional, QLD) - 72.25 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 7 November 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Chinchilla'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 Chinchilla

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

Under observed aircraft
46%
of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft
Below 3,000 ft
2%
of the suburb's area
Lowest measured
1,000 ft
averaging 5,000 ft
Busiest square
~0 a day
±24% · area average
typical observed square 0 a day

Night movements: not established - night is sampled as often as day, but too few night flights have been seen here to conclude either way.

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.

Chinchilla at a glance

Parcels 4,099 Median lot 883 m² Mapped easements 368 Schools in suburb 5

Schools in and near Chinchilla

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

5

3 schools providing primary years and 3 providing secondary years. A combined school may be counted in both teaching levels.

Nearest school availability

Primary: inside the suburb

Secondary: inside the suburb

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 Chinchilla is zoned

Rural 70%
Low density residential 8%
Recreation and open space 7%
Rural residential 5%
Community facilities 5%
Medium impact industry 2%

Selling in Chinchilla? 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 72.25 km², Chinchilla is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 78% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 46% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 883 m² across 4,099 parcels.

Who lives in Chinchilla

Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Chinchilla suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.

Population
7,068
usual residents, 2021
Median age
33
years
Median household income
$1,549
per week, Western Downs Regional suburb typical $1,432
Median rent
$250
per week, Western Downs Regional suburb typical $200
Median mortgage
$1,300
per month
Household size
2.5
people, average

Socio-economic standing

ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.

Advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD) Decile 2
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 927, and decile 3 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 3
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Chinchilla's 7,068 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 7.2%
5-14 15.5%
15-19 5.7%
20-24 6.2%
25-34 16.9%
35-44 12.3%
45-54 10.6%
55-64 10.8%
65-74 8.1%
75-84 4.9%
85+ 1.8%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

Estimated resident population of Chinchilla, the wider ABS statistical area containing Chinchilla. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Chinchilla itself.

5,677 in 2001 to 9,159 in 2025, up 61%.

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.

Chinchilla data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
ZoningMappedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldthe relevant council planning scheme and Queensland Government spatial data, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)
School availabilityAvailableQueensland Government

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 Chinchilla 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 2% of Chinchilla. 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 over parts of Chinchilla. The free check tells you whether one reaches an address; where it does, a Flood Model Report is +$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 Chinchilla lot.

Chinchilla planning - frequently asked

Is Chinchilla flood-prone?

About 78% of Chinchilla falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 49%. Published flood models are held over parts of Chinchilla; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether one reaches a given address.

Is Chinchilla bushfire-prone?

Around 46% of Chinchilla is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Western Downs Regional average of 43%.

Is Chinchilla under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 2% of Chinchilla, and over about 46% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 7 Nov 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 5,000 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 0 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 Chinchilla?

The dominant planning zone in Chinchilla is Rural, though the suburb also includes Low density residential and Recreation and open space.

Does Chinchilla have heritage-listed places?

Chinchilla has 1 heritage-listed place on record.

What is the typical lot size in Chinchilla?

Across 4,099 surveyed parcels in Chinchilla, the median lot size is about 883 m². There are also 368 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

What is the population of Chinchilla?

At the 2021 Census Chinchilla had 7,068 usual residents, with a median age of 33 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Chinchilla statistical area, which contains Chinchilla, went from 5,677 people in 2001 to 9,159 in 2025, up 61%.

Is Chinchilla an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Chinchilla scores 927 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 3 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Chinchilla?

Median household income in Chinchilla was $1,549 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,432 for the typical suburb in Western Downs Regional. Median rent was $250 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,300 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Baking Board 7.2 km 43% 64%
Boonarga 11.7 km 60% 19%
Chances Plain 12.3 km 55% 11%
Red Hill 12.7 km 42% 54%
Rywung 14.2 km 27% 35%
Hopeland 14.5 km 61% 27%
Greenswamp 20.0 km 64% 42%
Goombi 20.7 km 53% 26%
Crossroads 20.7 km 58% 46%
Cameby 21.1 km 38% 25%

See all Western Downs Regional suburb profiles →