Macalister flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Macalister
(Western Downs Regional, QLD) - 327.37 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 19 September 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
327.37 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Macalister's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Macalister at a glance
Schools in and near Macalister
Public school-location data shows availability across the suburb. These figures do not rate schools and do not assign a particular 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: 3.66 km from the suburb boundary
Secondary: 12.14 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 Macalister is zoned
Selling in Macalister? 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 327.37 km², Macalister is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 89% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 7% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 790,072 m² across 303 parcels.
Who lives in Macalister
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Macalister 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 992, and decile 7 within Queensland. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Macalister's 156 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Wambo, the wider ABS statistical area containing Macalister. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Macalister itself.
15,011 in 2001 to 17,853 in 2025, up 19%.
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.
Macalister 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 |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
| School availability | Available | Queensland Government |
Profile last materially updated 19 September 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 Macalister 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.
Published flood models are held over parts of Macalister. 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 an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Macalister lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Macalister planning - frequently asked
Is Macalister flood-prone?
About 89% of Macalister falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 49%.
Is Macalister bushfire-prone?
Around 7% of Macalister is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Western Downs Regional average of 43%.
What is the zoning in Macalister?
The dominant planning zone in Macalister is Rural, though the suburb also includes Community facilities and Recreation and open space.
Does Macalister have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Macalister.
What is the typical lot size in Macalister?
Across 303 surveyed parcels in Macalister, the median lot size is about 790,072 m². There are also 2 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
What is the population of Macalister?
At the 2021 Census Macalister had 156 usual residents, with a median age of 40 and an average household size of 2.5 people. The wider Wambo statistical area, which contains Macalister, went from 15,011 people in 2001 to 17,853 in 2025, up 19%.
Is Macalister an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Macalister scores 992 and sits in decile 6 of 10 nationally and decile 7 within Queensland (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Macalister?
Median household income in Macalister was $1,458 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,432 for the typical suburb in Western Downs Regional. Median rent was $250 a week.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ranges Bridge | 12.4 km | 100% | 9% |
| Warra | 17.2 km | 90% | 10% |
| Pirrinuan | 17.3 km | 72% | 8% |
| Jimbour West | 18.4 km | 89% | 0% |
| Dalby | 21.4 km | 85% | 8% |
| Jimbour East | 25.8 km | 44% | 38% |
| Beelbee | 26.1 km | 28% | 83% |
| Ducklo | 26.4 km | 86% | 26% |
| Tuckerang | 28.1 km | 96% | 9% |
| Nandi | 29.2 km | 93% | 14% |