Karawatha flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Karawatha (Brisbane City, QLD) - 8.62 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Karawatha'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.

Karawatha 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 250 Karawatha properties.

Karawatha at a glance

Parcels 230 Median lot 539 m² Mapped easements 51 Bus stops 1

How Karawatha is zoned

Conservation (Metropolitan) 78%
Environmental management 6%
Sport and recreation (District) 3%
General industry B 3%
Special purpose (Utility services) 3%
Rural 2%

Selling in Karawatha? 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 8.62 km², Karawatha is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 36% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 93% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Conservation (Metropolitan). The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 539 m² across 230 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 Karawatha

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

Population
337
usual residents, 2021
Median age
31
years
Median household income
$2,531
per week, Brisbane City suburb typical $2,122
Median rent
$585
per week, Brisbane City suburb typical $410
Median mortgage
$2,600
per month
Household size
3.6
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 10
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1092, and decile 10 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 8
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Karawatha's 337 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 11.6%
5-14 19.4%
15-19 5.1%
20-24 4.2%
25-34 13.7%
35-44 25.7%
45-54 9.3%
55-64 3.0%
65-74 4.8%
75-84 3.3%
85+ 0.0%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

13,102 in 2001 to 25,416 in 2025, up 94%.

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 Karawatha 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 →

Karawatha planning - frequently asked

Where can I see a flood map of Karawatha?

The schematic on this page is a Karawatha flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid, covering about 36% of the suburb. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Karawatha address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.

Is Karawatha flood-prone?

About 36% of Karawatha falls within a mapped flood overlay, against a Brisbane City average of 40%. Looking lot by lot, 0% of the 250 properties we analysed in Karawatha carry some level of mapped flood risk. Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.

Is Karawatha bushfire-prone?

Yes - around 93% of Karawatha is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Brisbane City average of 27%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.

What is the zoning in Karawatha?

The dominant planning zone in Karawatha is Conservation (Metropolitan), though the suburb also includes Environmental management and Sport and recreation (District). Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.

Does Karawatha have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within Karawatha. Even so, it is worth confirming for an individual property before any works.

Is Karawatha hilly or flat?

Karawatha is gently undulating: the median lot slope is about 6%. Ground level runs from roughly 22 m to 56 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 Karawatha?

Across 230 surveyed parcels in Karawatha, the median lot size is about 539 m². There are also 51 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 Karawatha have a train station?

There is no train station inside Karawatha itself. The suburb is served by 1 bus stop.

What is the population of Karawatha?

At the 2021 Census Karawatha had 337 usual residents, with a median age of 31 and an average household size of 3.6 people. The wider Calamvale - Stretton statistical area, which contains Karawatha, went from 13,102 people in 2001 to 25,416 in 2025, up 94%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Karawatha alone.

Is Karawatha an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Karawatha scores 1092 and sits in decile 10 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 Karawatha?

Median household income in Karawatha was $2,531 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,122 for the typical suburb in Brisbane City. Median rent was $585 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,600 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.

Do I need a planning report for a Karawatha property?

A Karawatha 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.

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