Wacol flood map & planning overlays
Median lots of 786 m², 4,253 residents, and 51.3% flood-mapped. Mostly zoned for major health care.
Most lots here are flood-mapped. The free check shows how much of one lot the overlay covers, and the modelled depth where a flood study reaches it.
Free map preview, then PDF reports from $9 - about the price of an iced latte on a public holiday.
A planning-constraint profile of Wacol
(Brisbane City, QLD) - 18.23 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 7 November 2026.
Constraint readout
18.23 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Wacol'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 Wacol properties?
Counts of properties, not share of land, across 912 analysed Wacol properties; no individual property result is identified.
Lot-level readout
Flood-risk rating across all 912 properties
From LayeredGeo's lot-risk engine: council flood overlays, historical flooding and terrain, resolved to each individual lot in Wacol.
Has Wacol flooded? Flood history and overland flow
Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Wacol: 221 of the 912 properties we analysed (24.2%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (Historic Flood 1974: 143, February 2022: 125, January 2011: 80). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.
Suburb-wide totals across 912 analysed properties; they do not identify or describe any individual property.
Recorded historical flood mapping
221 analysed properties intersect at least one mapped historical event extent.
- Historic Flood 1974: 143
- February 2022: 125
- January 2011: 80
Mapped overland flow
233 analysed properties carry a mapped overland-flow category.
- Low: 73
- Medium: 99
- High: 28
- Affected: 33
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 Wacol
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 2 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 2,000 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.
Wacol at a glance
Schools in and near Wacol
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
1 school providing primary years and 0 providing secondary years. A combined school may be counted in both teaching levels.
Nearest school availability
Primary: inside the suburb
Secondary: 1.57 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 Wacol is zoned
Selling in Wacol? 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 18.23 km², Wacol is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 51% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 36% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 6 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Major health care. The terrain is gently undulating, and the median lot measures about 786 m² across 953 parcels.
Recent development applications in Wacol
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: 5 November 2026.
Previous 12 months: 37 (22% lower in the latest period).
Common application types
- Material change of use: 12
- 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 8 November 2026. Check the official council register.
Who lives in Wacol
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Wacol suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.
Age profile
Share of Wacol's 4,253 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Wacol, the wider ABS statistical area containing Wacol. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Wacol itself.
4,909 in 2001 to 6,975 in 2025, up 42%.
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.
Wacol property market snapshot
Queensland Government publishes this as a SA2 market series for Wacol, the wider statistical area containing Wacol. It is not a valuation and is not specific to this suburb or any individual property.
House sales
Median sale price from 31 sales over 12 months to March 2026.
Unit sales
Median sale price from 12 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.
Wacol 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 Wacol 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 Wacol. 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 930 Wacol 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 Wacol lot.
Wacol planning - frequently asked
Is Wacol flood-prone?
About 51% of Wacol falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 31%. Across the suburb, 40% of the 912 properties we analysed carry some level of mapped flood risk, including 132 rated high risk or historically affected. Modelled flood depth, velocity and flood level are held for about 930 Wacol addresses, from published flood studies; the free check on the Flood Model Report page says whether a model reaches a given address.
Has Wacol flooded?
Yes. Recorded flood mapping reaches into Wacol: 221 of the 912 properties we analysed (24.2%) sit at least partly inside a mapped historical flood extent (Historic Flood 1974: 143, February 2022: 125, January 2011: 80). The free address check says whether a given lot is inside one.
Is Wacol bushfire-prone?
Around 36% of Wacol is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Brisbane City average of 27%.
Is Wacol under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 100% of Wacol, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 7 Nov 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 500 ft, with an average of 3,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 56 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 Wacol?
The dominant planning zone in Wacol is Major health care, though the suburb also includes Special purpose (Detention facility) and Conservation (District).
Does Wacol have heritage-listed places?
Wacol has 6 heritage-listed places on record.
Is Wacol hilly or flat?
Wacol is gently undulating: the median ground slope is about 4%. Ground level runs from roughly 14 m to 44 m AHD across the suburb.
What is the typical lot size in Wacol?
Across 953 surveyed parcels in Wacol, the median lot size is about 786 m². There are also 241 registered easements mapped in the suburb.
Does Wacol have a train station?
Yes - Wacol has 2 train stations: Gailes station, Wacol station. It is also served by 15 bus stops.
What is the population of Wacol?
At the 2021 Census Wacol had 4,253 usual residents, with a median age of 35 and an average household size of 2.4 people. The wider Wacol statistical area, which contains Wacol, went from 4,909 people in 2001 to 6,975 in 2025, up 42%.
What is the median household income in Wacol?
Median household income in Wacol was $1,379 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,122 for the typical suburb in Brisbane City. Median rent was $320 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,387 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sumner | 2.9 km | 72% | 34% |
| Riverhills | 3.0 km | 56% | 22% |
| Gailes Ipswich City |
3.0 km | 85% | 32% |
| Moggill | 3.0 km | 53% | 36% |
| Richlands | 3.4 km | 6% | 3% |
| Goodna Ipswich City |
3.4 km | 66% | 34% |
| Middle Park | 3.5 km | 22% | 4% |
| Jamboree Heights | 3.9 km | 14% | 0% |
| Carole Park Ipswich City |
3.9 km | 43% | 37% |
| Ellen Grove | 4.1 km | 10% | 59% |