Is a Bendigo house in a flood area? How to check before you buy
Download the free property flood report from the North Central CMA Flood Eye portal, check the planning property report for the Land Subject to Inundation and Special Building overlays, and ask council whether the land is designated flood-prone. Then ask the building inspector to record any sign of past water.
Bendigo's flood history
Bendigo's creeks flood. VICSES's flood history for Greater Bendigo records a flood in 1857, after 82 mm of rain in under 24 hours, as one of the largest on record. Since then:
- November 1933: the Bendigo Creek flooded 100 houses in High Street, Kangaroo Flat.
- 1951: 80.2 mm of rain over two days left water waist deep in Kangaroo Flat.
- January 1996: thunderstorms flooded many shops and homes in Kangaroo Flat.
- September 2010 and February 2011: about 80 mm in one day, then 100 mm over three days.
- October 2022: about 120 mm over two days in the Epsom, Huntly and Ascot area.
VICSES publishes local flood guides for Bendigo, White Hills and Long Gully; Golden Square and Kangaroo Flat; and Epsom, Huntly and Ascot.
Four checks before you buy
- Flood Eye. The North Central Catchment Management Authority's Flood Eye portal shows whether a property is in the mapped 1% annual exceedance probability flood area. VICSES describes that as a flood with a 1% chance of happening in any year. Inside the mapped area, you can download a free property flood report.
- Planning property report. This shows whether the Land Subject to Inundation Overlay or the Special Building Overlay applies. The Special Building Overlay covers land affected by overland stormwater flow.
- Council's answer. Under regulation 51 of the Building Regulations 2018, anyone can ask council whether a property is in a designated flood-prone area. Your conveyancer can make the request with their other searches.
- The inspection. Ask the inspector to record any sign of past water.
Where the overlays are
Using Vicmap Planning data, we measured how much of each suburb's land is under the two flood-related overlays:
| Suburb | Land Subject to Inundation | Special Building Overlay |
|---|---|---|
| Epsom | about 34% | about 16% |
| Huntly | about 25% | about 10% |
| Bendigo (central) | about 17% | under 1% |
| White Hills | about 12% | none |
| Kangaroo Flat | about 7% | under 1% |
| Golden Square | about 4% | under 1% |
These are shares of land, not of houses. Some of the land is creek reserve and parkland, so always check the address.
What the inspector can look for
A building and pest inspection does not assess flood risk, but it can record evidence:
- tide marks or staining on walls, the slab edge or subfloor timbers
- swollen or replaced skirting boards and door jambs
- damp, silt or rubbish in the subfloor
- rot or termite activity in timber that has been wet
- how the ground falls around the house, and where stormwater goes
If the flood report or council's answer shows risk, get a home insurance quote that includes flood cover before you sign.
Related services
Sources: VICSES, City of Greater Bendigo flood guides and history; VICSES, Epsom, Huntly and Ascot local flood guide; VICSES, Golden Square and Kangaroo Flat local flood guide; North Central CMA, Flood Eye property flood reports; Vicmap Planning, planning scheme overlays (Department of Transport and Planning); Building Regulations 2018 (Vic), regulation 51.
Last checked: 2026-10-30.