Farming Zone dominant. 482 lots resolved to zone, overlays and development potential.
Barwon Downs 3243 spans 2 councils: Colac Otway (477 lots), Surf Coast (5 lots). The dominant council (Colac Otway) sets the canonical URL for this page.
Zoning
Barwon Downs is dominated by FZ — Farming Zone. Land use, building height, overlays, and permitted development are set per zone in the planning scheme under the Victorian Planning Provisions, with ResCode governing residential design.
Limit varies by lot — check your address for the exact figure.
Modelled dwelling capacity if every lot built to its zone controls.
Location
Barwon Downs 3243 covers 130.0 km² within Colac Otway.
Drill into any lot in Barwon Downs
Open the interactive map — click any address to see its zone, height, FSR, overlays, and approval likelihood.
Development potential
We score every lot for development signal — under-built relative to the controls, eligible for a small second dwelling, or sized for subdivision.
under the VPP small second dwelling provisions (Clause 52.18 / 54)
lots that may support subdivision
show at least one development signal
Own a property in Barwon Downs?
Check your lot's exact development potential — height, FSR, granny flat, subdivision, dual-occ.
Constraints & risks
14% of lots are in mapped flood zones — material for any development; also: 67% of lots are bushfire-prone — a bushfire assessment is likely required; 1% of lots carry a Heritage Overlay.
Suburb-wide percentages — your specific lot may have all, some, or none of these.
LSIO / Floodway overlay
BMO — BAL assessment triggered
HO — controls on demolition & works
Near a recorded contaminated site
Market
Rent and market context from state rental bond and demographic data.
Sale-price history isn't yet loaded for this suburb — rent and planning data are shown where available.
FAQs
Barwon Downs is dominated by the FZ (Farming Zone) zone, which covers 271 of 482 lots (56%). The full mix is: FZ Farming Zone (56%), PCRZ Public Conservation and Resource Zone (24%), TZ Township Zone (18%), TRZ Transport Zone (1%), PUZ Public Use Zone (1%).
Across Barwon Downs, the average maximum building height is 9.0 m. Height is set per zone in the planning scheme (Victorian Planning Provisions) and can be varied by overlays and schedules. For the exact control on a specific address, generate a planning report.
Yes — 83 lots in Barwon Downs appear eligible for a small second dwelling under the VPP small second dwelling provisions (Clause 52.18 / 54), based on lot size, zoning, and frontage. Eligibility is lot-specific: get a planning report on your address to confirm.
Median weekly rent for a house in Barwon Downs is $475.
Across Barwon Downs, 13.6% flood-affected, 1% with heritage controls, 67.3% bushfire-prone. These are suburb-wide percentages — every lot has its own combination. A planning report on a specific address shows exactly which controls apply.
83 of 482 lots in Barwon Downs show identifiable development potential — under-developed for the planning controls, eligible for a small second dwelling, or capable of subdivision.
Continue exploring
Compare zoning, development potential, and DA activity across other suburbs in Colac Otway and nearby postcodes.
Suburb-wide stats are useful for context. For a buy-or-walk decision on a specific lot, you need every control, every constraint, and every clause cited to source.
Run a report — from A$2914-section report · planning scheme + overlays cross-referenced · cited to source
Verify with official sources
Don't take our word for it. Every figure on this page is computed from authoritative Victoria Government data — and you can verify any of it directly with the source.
Official Victoria source — verify zoning, overlays, planning controls and the figures shown on this page.
Official Victoria source — verify zoning, overlays, planning controls and the figures shown on this page.
Official Victoria source — verify zoning, overlays, planning controls and the figures shown on this page.
Official Victoria source — verify zoning, overlays, planning controls and the figures shown on this page.
Zoning, height, overlays and development potential computed from the Colac Otwayplanning scheme (Victorian Planning Provisions) and lot-level cadastre (482 lots). Hazard overlays, demographics and rent drawn from Victorian Planning Provisions & planning schemes, Victorian Building Authority / building permit activity, Victoria in Future, and ABS Census 2021. Aggregated by ZoneDSS · last updated 2026-06-08.
Suburb-wide statistics — your specific lot may vary. Always run a planning report on the actual address before making a decision. How ZoneDSS works →