Bute flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Bute
(Barunga West Council, SA) - 238.56 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
238.56 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Bute'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 Bute
Two different things, kept apart on purpose. The ANEF contour is the planning instrument - a forecast published per airport that planning schemes use to control noise-sensitive development. Observed overflight is what a sampled aircraft-tracking feed actually recorded over the suburb - where aircraft flew, how low and how often.
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 3 Oct 2026
typical observed square 1 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 9,000 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.
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.
Bute at a glance
How Bute is zoned
Selling in Bute? The zone and overlays on this page are the Planning and Design Code controls a Form 1 vendor's statement has to disclose.
Across its 238.56 km², Bute is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There are 12 heritage-listed sites on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Rural. The median lot measures about 72,316 m² across 579 parcels.
Who lives in Bute
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Bute 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 899, and decile 2 within South Australia. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Bute's 389 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Wakefield - Barunga West, the wider ABS statistical area containing Bute. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Bute itself.
9,198 in 2001 to 9,786 in 2025, up 6%.
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.
Bute 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 South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Zoning | Mapped | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | the South Australian Planning and Design Code and Location SA spatial data, Defence |
| Observed flight paths | Observed | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 3 October 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 Bute 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.
Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 5% of Bute. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Bute lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Bute planning - frequently asked
Is Bute flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Bute and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay.
Is Bute bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Bute is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Barunga West Council average of 92%.
Is Bute under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 5% of Bute, and over about 42% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 3 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,500 ft, with an average of 4,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 1 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 Bute?
The dominant planning zone in Bute is Rural, though the suburb also includes Township and Rural Living.
Does Bute have heritage-listed places?
Bute has 12 heritage-listed places on record.
What is the typical lot size in Bute?
Across 579 surveyed parcels in Bute, the median lot size is about 72,316 m².
Does Bute have a train station?
There is no train station inside Bute itself. The suburb is served by 1 bus stop.
What is the population of Bute?
At the 2021 Census Bute had 389 usual residents, with a median age of 51 and an average household size of 2.2 people. The wider Wakefield - Barunga West statistical area, which contains Bute, went from 9,198 people in 2001 to 9,786 in 2025, up 6%.
Is Bute an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Bute scores 899 and sits in decile 2 of 10 nationally and decile 2 within South Australia (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Bute?
Median household income in Bute was $869 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,330 for the typical suburb in Barunga West Council. Median rent was $150 a week and the median mortgage repayment $823 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Barunga Gap Wakefield Regional Council |
11.4 km | 0% | 100% |
| Wokurna | 13.5 km | 0% | 100% |
| Thomas Plain | 14.2 km | 0% | 100% |
| Alford | 14.3 km | 0% | 100% |
| Ninnes | 15.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Lochiel Wakefield Regional Council |
16.6 km | 0% | 100% |
| Willamulka Copper Coast Council |
18.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Snowtown Wakefield Regional Council |
18.7 km | 0% | 100% |
| Port Broughton | 19.3 km | 0% | 87% |
| Bumbunga Wakefield Regional Council |
22.8 km | 0% | 100% |