Areas / Macedon Ranges / Benloch

Benloch flood map & planning overlays

Benloch is the young end of Macedon Ranges, median 37.

A planning-constraint profile of Benloch (Macedon Ranges, VIC) - 26.75 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 24 October 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Benloch'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 Benloch

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 24 Oct 2026

Under observed aircraft
25%
of the suburb, at or below 10,000 ft
Below 3,000 ft
0%
of the suburb's area
Lowest measured
3,000 ft
averaging 6,500 ft
Busiest square
~1 a day
±32% · area average
typical observed square 1 a day

Night movements: observed, lowest 7,500 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.

Benloch at a glance

Parcels 141 Median lot 81,460 m² Mapped easements 34

How Benloch is zoned

Rural Conservation Zone (RCZ1) 84%
Public Conservation and Resource Zone (PCRZ) 16%
Farming Zone (FZ) 0%

Selling in Benloch? The zoning and planning overlays on this page are the controls a Section 32 vendor statement discloses.

Across its 26.75 km², Benloch 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. The dominant land-use zone is Rural Conservation Zone (RCZ1). The median lot measures about 81,460 m² across 141 parcels.

Who lives in Benloch

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

Population
138
usual residents, 2021
Median age
37
years
Median household income
$1,958
per week, Macedon Ranges suburb typical $2,090
Median rent
$417
per week, Macedon Ranges suburb typical $350
Median mortgage
$1,728
per month
Household size
2.6
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 9
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1056, and decile 9 within Victoria. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 10
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Benloch's 138 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 7.8%
5-14 13.5%
15-19 4.3%
20-24 5.0%
25-34 17.0%
35-44 12.1%
45-54 8.5%
55-64 15.6%
65-74 8.5%
75-84 7.8%
85+ 0.0%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

7,425 in 2001 to 11,567 in 2025, up 56%.

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.

Benloch data sources and coverage

“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.

DatasetCoveragePublisher
Flood mappingMappedVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services
Bushfire-prone mappingMappedVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services
ZoningMappedVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services
Heritage and environmentMapped where publishedVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services
Aircraft noise contours (ANEF)Not heldVicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services, Defence
Observed flight pathsObservedadsb.lol, under the Open Database License
DemographicsAvailableAustralian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA)

Profile last materially updated 24 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 Benloch 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 →

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 the indicative soil reactivity range to expect for a Benloch lot.

Benloch planning - frequently asked

Is Benloch flood-prone?

Flood mapping covers Benloch and less than 1% of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 8%).

Is Benloch bushfire-prone?

Around 100% of Benloch is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Macedon Ranges average of 99%.

Is Benloch under a flight path?

Aircraft were observed over about 25% of Benloch in the period sampled, but only above 3,000 ft - the lowest measured was 3,000 ft. 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 Benloch?

The dominant planning zone in Benloch is Rural Conservation Zone (RCZ1), though the suburb also includes Public Conservation and Resource Zone (PCRZ) and Farming Zone (FZ).

Does Benloch have heritage-listed places?

No heritage-listed places are on record within Benloch.

What is the typical lot size in Benloch?

Across 141 surveyed parcels in Benloch, the median lot size is about 81,460 m². There are also 34 registered easements mapped in the suburb.

What is the population of Benloch?

At the 2021 Census Benloch had 138 usual residents, with a median age of 37 and an average household size of 2.6 people. The wider Romsey statistical area, which contains Benloch, went from 7,425 people in 2001 to 11,567 in 2025, up 56%.

Is Benloch an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Benloch scores 1056 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within Victoria (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).

What is the median household income in Benloch?

Median household income in Benloch was $1,958 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,090 for the typical suburb in Macedon Ranges. Median rent was $417 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,728 a month.

Compare nearby suburbs

Nearby suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Pastoria East 4.7 km 8% 100%
Baynton 7.4 km 8% 100%
Cobaw 7.7 km Not mapped 100%
Lancefield 7.8 km <1% 99%
Nulla Vale
Mitchell
8.0 km Not mapped 100%
Pastoria 8.5 km 6% 100%
Baynton East 9.3 km <1% 100%
Sidonia 11.1 km 14% 100%
Newham 12.1 km 2% 100%
Rochford 12.4 km Not mapped 100%

See all Macedon Ranges suburb profiles →