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Barwon Downs flood & bushfire risk

Of Barwon Downs’s 179 mapped properties, 7.3% are in a mapped flood area and 100% are in a bushfire hazard area.

For context, Barwon Downs’s flood exposure is above the VIC average of 3.9%, and bushfire exposure is above the VIC average of 18.2%.

7.3%
In a flood area
100%
In a bushfire area
179
Mapped properties

Where the hazards are in Barwon Downs

Flood and bushfire areas across Barwon Downs. Zoom in to see how they fall relative to individual streets.

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Crime near Barwon Downs

Barwon Downs sits in the Colac-Otway council area, which recorded 1,395 reported offences in the 12 months to Mar 2026.

Showing all crime — tap an offence type below to plot it over time.
01,0002,00020172019202120232025

Every reported offence by type — these add up to the 1,395 total. Figures are for the whole Colac-Otway council area (which may cover several suburbs), last 12 months. Reported offences only.

Zoning in Barwon Downs

Barwon Downs is mostly rural. The most common zones:

Rural52% of properties

Rural — farming and agricultural land; housing is limited.

Zone: FARMING ZONE

Township40.2% of properties

Township — small-town mix of homes, shops and local services.

Zone: TOWNSHIP ZONE

Environmental5% of properties

Environmental management — conservation land with strong limits on development.

Zone: PUBLIC CONSERVATION AND RESOURCE ZONE

School catchments in Barwon Downs

PrimaryBirregurra Primary School · Deans Marsh Primary School · Forrest Primary School
SecondaryColac Secondary College · Lorne P-12 College

Barwon Downs can span more than one catchment — check a specific address (below) for the exact school.

Who lives in Barwon Downs

At the 2021 Census, 1.5% of Barwon Downs’s 136 residents were born overseas.

Top ancestries

English44.9%
Australian32.4%
Irish18.4%
German11.8%
Scottish11.8%

Top countries of birth

Japan4.4%

Ancestry counts people reporting each ancestry (up to two each), as a share of responses. Source: ABS 2021 Census.

Development near Barwon Downs

Colac Otway council approved 201 new dwellings in the 12 months to May 2026.

201
Dwellings/yr
175
Houses
26
Units
01252502020202120222023202420252026

New dwellings approved across the whole Colac Otway council area (not just Barwon Downs). See the council trend. Source: ABS Building Approvals.

Risk varies property by property. Check a specific Barwon Downs address:

Nearby suburbs

Gerangamete · 4.8% floodForrest · 1.6% floodMurroon · 4.3% floodYeodene · 0% floodPennyroyal · 5.8% floodBirregurra · 13.7% flood

Figures are indicative only — verify any specific property with the relevant council. Sources: council/state planning schemes & flood mapping, Geoscape G-NAF, state police crime statistics, ABS.