Property Report / Areas / Baw Baw / Willow Grove

Willow Grove flood map & planning overlays

A planning-constraint profile of Willow Grove (Baw Baw, VIC) - 78.08 km², mapped from live council and state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 6 September 2026.

Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Willow Grove'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

Willow Grove at a glance

Parcels 559 Median lot 5,138 m² Mapped easements 356

How Willow Grove is zoned

Farming Zone (FZ) 68%
Public Use Zone (PUZ1) 22%
Public Conservation and Resource Zone (PCRZ) 8%
Transport Zone (TRZ2) 1%
Rural Living Zone (RLZ2) 0%
Special Use Zone (SUZ6) 0%

Selling in Willow Grove? 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 Willow Grove address.

Across its 78.08 km², Willow Grove is highly constrained by planning overlays. About 15% of the suburb sits within a mapped flood overlay, and 100% is flagged bushfire-prone. There is 1 heritage-listed site on record, and the dominant land-use zone is Farming Zone (FZ). The median lot measures about 5,138 m² across 559 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 Willow Grove

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

Population
654
usual residents, 2021
Median age
42
years
Median household income
$1,801
per week, Baw Baw suburb typical $1,614
Median rent
$243
per week, Baw Baw suburb typical $261
Median mortgage
$1,600
per month
Household size
2.7
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 7
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Score 1008, and decile 6 within Victoria. The national average is 1000.

Relative disadvantage (IRSD) Decile 8
most disadvantagedleast disadvantaged

Age profile

Share of Willow Grove's 654 residents in each ABS age band.

0-4 7.2%
5-14 14.8%
15-19 5.8%
20-24 4.1%
25-34 9.2%
35-44 11.5%
45-54 14.5%
55-64 14.5%
65-74 12.1%
75-84 5.7%
85+ 0.6%

Population trend, 2001 to 2025

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

5,736 in 2001 to 6,750 in 2025, up 18%.

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.

Willow Grove 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.

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
DemographicsAvailableAustralian 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 Willow Grove address

This page is the suburb; the report is your lot. For any Willow Grove 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
  • Whether the lot, or a neighbour, is one of the 1 heritage-listed place on record
  • A coverage disclosure: exactly which layers were, and were not, assessed

The interactive map is free - check an address below.

Building, renovating or pricing a slab?

Geotechnical desktop report for a Willow Grove lot

The planning report tells you what you may build. The geotechnical desktop report tells you what the ground under a Willow Grove 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
$119per address, PDF in minutes Get a geotech report → See a sample report

Check a specific Willow Grove 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 →

Willow Grove planning - frequently asked

Where can I see a flood map of Willow Grove?

The schematic on this page is a Willow Grove flood map: the mapped flood overlays drawn over the suburb's terrain and street grid, covering about 15% of the suburb. Flood lines vary block to block, so for a specific property use the free interactive map - search any Willow Grove address and it shows the flood, zoning and bushfire mapping on the exact lot boundary.

Is Willow Grove flood-prone?

About 15% of Willow Grove 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 Willow Grove bushfire-prone?

Around 100% of Willow Grove 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 Willow Grove?

The dominant planning zone in Willow Grove is Farming Zone (FZ), though the suburb also includes Public Use Zone (PUZ1) and Public Conservation and Resource Zone (PCRZ). Zoning sets what you can build and do on a site, and can differ lot by lot.

Does Willow Grove have heritage-listed places?

Willow Grove has 1 heritage-listed place on record. Heritage listing affects what you can alter or demolish, so confirm whether a specific property is listed or near a heritage place.

What is the typical lot size in Willow Grove?

Across 559 surveyed parcels in Willow Grove, the median lot size is about 5,138 m². There are also 356 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 Willow Grove?

At the 2021 Census Willow Grove had 654 usual residents, with a median age of 42 and an average household size of 2.7 people. The wider Mount Baw Baw Region statistical area, which contains Willow Grove, went from 5,736 people in 2001 to 6,750 in 2025, up 18%. ABS publishes no annual population series for individual suburbs, so that trend describes the surrounding area rather than Willow Grove alone.

Is Willow Grove an advantaged suburb?

On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Willow Grove scores 1008 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 Willow Grove?

Median household income in Willow Grove was $1,801 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,614 for the typical suburb in Baw Baw. Median rent was $243 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,600 a month. These are 2021 Census figures and have not been indexed to today.

Do I need a planning report for a Willow Grove property?

A Willow Grove 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 suburbDistanceFlood mappedBushfire-prone
Hill End 7.6 km 0% 100%
Shady Creek 8.4 km 5% 100%
Westbury 9.0 km 26% 100%
Tanjil South 9.2 km 14% 100%
Trafalgar 9.8 km 20% 100%
Trafalgar East 10.5 km 26% 100%
Neerim East 11.7 km 0% 100%
Thalloo 12.6 km 0% 100%
Moe
Latrobe
13.0 km 28% 100%
Buln Buln East 13.3 km 0% 100%

See all Baw Baw suburb profiles →