Modella flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Modella
(Baw Baw, VIC) - 30.08 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 6 September 2026.
Everything below is suburb-wide. Overlays change block to block - see which ones actually touch your lot. The map is free.
Constraint readout
30.08 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Modella'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.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Modella at a glance
How Modella is zoned
Selling in Modella? The zoning and planning overlays on this page are the controls a Section 32 vendor statement discloses - a $9 planning report pulls them at the lot level for any Modella address.
Across its 30.08 km², Modella is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 93% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Farming Zone (FZ). The median lot measures about 202,354 m² across 109 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 Modella
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Modella 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 1006, and decile 6 within Victoria. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Modella's 169 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Drouin, the wider ABS statistical area containing Modella. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Modella itself.
9,882 in 2001 to 22,118 in 2025, up 124%.
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.
Modella data sources and coverage
Every figure below is an aggregate for the suburb boundary. “Not mapped” means LayeredGeo does not hold a source layer covering this suburb; it is never an all-clear for a particular property.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Mapped | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services |
| Zoning | Mapped | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | Vicmap Planning and Victorian Government spatial services, Defence |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 6 September 2026. See the methodology and full source list. Source data changes over time and critical decisions should be checked with the responsible authority.
What a $9 report adds for a Modella address
This page is the suburb; the report is your lot. For any Modella address it resolves, on the lot boundary:
- The zone and every planning overlay that touches the lot, in the scheme's own labels
- Which flood overlay categories reach the lot
- Whether the lot is in bushfire-prone mapping, and what that triggers for a build
- A coverage disclosure: exactly which layers were, and were not, assessed
The interactive map is free - check an address below.
Geotechnical desktop report for a Modella lot
The planning report tells you what you may build. The geotechnical desktop report tells you what the ground under a Modella address is likely to do - before you pay for a site investigation.
- Mapped geology and soil landscape on the lot
- Indicative AS 2870 site class, with the evidence behind it
- Nearby bore logs and groundwater records
- Acid sulfate soil and reactive clay screening
- Contours, slope and site elevation
- What the desktop evidence cannot tell you, stated plainly
Check a specific Modella 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 →Modella planning - frequently asked
Where can I see a flood map of Modella?
The schematic on this page is a Modella flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid, covering about 93% of the suburb. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Modella address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.
Is Modella flood-prone?
About 93% of Modella falls within a mapped flood overlay, against the council-wide suburb average of 6%. Flood overlays vary block to block, so whether a particular lot is affected needs a property-level check.
Is Modella bushfire-prone?
Around 100% of Modella is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Baw Baw average of 100%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.
What is the zoning in Modella?
The dominant planning zone in Modella is Farming Zone (FZ), though the suburb also includes Green Wedge Zone (GWZ1) and Public Use Zone (PUZ1). Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.
Does Modella have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Modella. Even so, it is worth confirming for an individual property before any works.
What is the typical lot size in Modella?
Across 109 surveyed parcels in Modella, the median lot size is about 202,354 m². There are also 25 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.
What is the population of Modella?
At the 2021 Census Modella had 169 usual residents, with a median age of 44 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Drouin statistical area, which contains Modella, went from 9,882 people in 2001 to 22,118 in 2025, up 124%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Modella alone.
Is Modella an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Modella scores 1006 and sits in decile 7 of 10 nationally and decile 6 within Victoria - 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 Modella?
Median household income in Modella was $2,218 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,614 for the typical suburb in Baw Baw. Median rent was $320 a week and the median mortgage repayment $2,119 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.
Do I need a planning report for a Modella property?
A Modella planning report pulls every overlay - zoning, flood, bushfire, heritage, environmental and noise - that touches a single lot, on live council and state data. The interactive map preview is free; the full PDF report is $9.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iona Cardinia |
3.9 km | 100% | 100% |
| Ripplebrook | 4.5 km | 4% | 100% |
| Catani Cardinia |
6.7 km | 100% | 100% |
| Vervale Cardinia |
6.9 km | 100% | 100% |
| Longwarry | 7.0 km | 42% | 100% |
| Heath Hill Cardinia |
7.1 km | 15% | 100% |
| Yannathan Cardinia |
8.2 km | 83% | 100% |
| Bunyip Cardinia |
8.3 km | 58% | 100% |
| Athlone | 9.3 km | 23% | 100% |
| Drouin South | 9.3 km | 4% | 100% |