Cootharaba flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Cootharaba (Noosa Shire, QLD) - 65.7 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
65.7 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Cootharaba'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.
Cootharaba at a glance
How Cootharaba is zoned
Selling in Cootharaba? 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 65.7 km², Cootharaba is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 26% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 77% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 40,107 m² across 453 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 Cootharaba
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Cootharaba 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 975, and decile 6 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Cootharaba's 866 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Noosa Hinterland, the wider ABS statistical area containing Cootharaba. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Cootharaba itself.
16,124 in 2001 to 26,251 in 2025, up 63%.
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 Cootharaba 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 →Cootharaba planning - frequently asked
Where can I see a flood map of Cootharaba?
The schematic on this page is a Cootharaba flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid, covering about 26% of the suburb. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Cootharaba address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.
Is Cootharaba flood-prone?
About 26% of Cootharaba falls within a mapped flood overlay, against a Noosa Shire average of 33%. Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.
Is Cootharaba bushfire-prone?
Yes - around 77% of Cootharaba is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Noosa Shire average of 76%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.
What is the zoning in Cootharaba?
The dominant planning zone in Cootharaba is Rural, though the suburb also includes Environmental Management and Conservation and Unzoned. Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.
Does Cootharaba have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Cootharaba. Even so, it is worth confirming for an individual property before any works.
What is the typical lot size in Cootharaba?
Across 453 surveyed parcels in Cootharaba, the median lot size is about 40,107 m². There are also 62 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.
What is the population of Cootharaba?
At the 2021 Census Cootharaba had 866 usual residents, with a median age of 48 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Noosa Hinterland statistical area, which contains Cootharaba, went from 16,124 people in 2001 to 26,251 in 2025, up 63%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Cootharaba alone.
Is Cootharaba an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Cootharaba scores 975 and sits in decile 5 of 10 nationally and decile 6 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 Cootharaba?
Median household income in Cootharaba was $1,465 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,602 for the typical suburb in Noosa Shire. Median rent was $365 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,863 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.
Do I need a planning report for a Cootharaba property?
A Cootharaba 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.