Modewarre flood map & planning overlays

The schematic on this page is a Modewarre flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid, covering about 21% of the suburb. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Modewarre address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.

About 21% of Modewarre 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.

Around 100% of Modewarre is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Surf Coast average of 99%. A bushfire-prone designation can trigger additional building requirements, so check the specific address.

The dominant planning zone in Modewarre is Farming Zone (FZ), though the suburb also includes Public Conservation and Resource Zone (PCRZ) and Comprehensive Development Zone (CDZ3). Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.

Modewarre has 4 heritage-listed places on record. Heritage listing affects what you can alter or demolish, so confirm whether a specific property is listed or near a heritage place.

Across 303 surveyed parcels in Modewarre, the median lot size is about 12,174 m². There are also 162 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.

At the 2021 Census Modewarre had 277 usual residents, with a median age of 44 and an average household size of 2.9 people. The wider Winchelsea statistical area, which contains Modewarre, went from 5,418 people in 2001 to 7,079 in 2025, up 31%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Modewarre alone.

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Modewarre scores 1044 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 8 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.

Median household income in Modewarre was $2,250 a week at the 2021 Census, against $2,045 for the typical suburb in Surf Coast. Median rent was $400 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,842 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.

A Modewarre 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.