Revealed: The 86 suburbs in Australia where properties could become IMPOSSIBLE to insure. So is yours on the list?

By CHARLOTTE MCINTYRE FOR DAILY MAIL AUSTRALIA

Published: 05:42 BST, 15 April 2025 | Updated: 05:48 BST, 15 April 2025

A new report has revealed the 86 suburbs across Australia where more than 80 per cent of properties could soon become impossible to insure. 

These suburbs are currently considered ‘high risk’ of becoming unaffordable or uninsurable due to the risk of climate-related damage. 

Climate change and its impact on Australian communities is becoming increasingly apparent due to extreme weather events. 

The data, commissioned by the Climate Council and Climate Valuation, has labelled several areas across the country as ‘Critical Climate Risk Zones’.

When extreme weather events, including flooding, tropical cyclones and bushfires, hit these areas the level of damage to infrastructure is likely to be severe.

Homes, schools, businesses, health facilities and other infrastructure would very likely be damaged.

Climate Valuation looks at the costs of predicted extreme weather damage relative to the replacement cost of the average home. 

Almost half of the 86 suburbs were in New South Wales. 

Forest Fire Management Victoria at the Bayindeen bushfire in February, 2024 (pictured)

Flooding in Newmarket, Brisbane, after a tropical cyclone rocked the region in March (pictured)

The data lists 42 NSW suburbs, such as the popular Ballina near Byron Bay, where 99.03 per cent of the 8,910 properties located there are high risk.

CEO of Climate Valuation (part of The Climate Risk Group), Dr Karl Mallon told Daily Mail Australia climate change is ‘threatening entire communities’.

‘Our data draws on 15million commercial and residential properties in over 15,000 Australian suburbs and 150 electorates,’ he said. 

‘The numbers show us that climate change is not a far-off future event: it threatens entire communities today.

‘Most alarmingly, our analysis has identified 86 critical climate risk zones requiring urgent and major government interventions, such as flood levies, buy backs or other measures. 

‘It is imperative that decision makers at all levels look seriously at the stark statistics presented here and work to address questions head-on: What adaptation action are all levels of government going to take now to protect our vulnerable communities?’

‘And, how will this be financed?’

In addition to the 86 suburbs identified as ‘high risk’, the report has claimed there are more than half a million properties at risk of following suit without investment.

Firefighters work to extinguish smoldering trees on the outskirts of Dimboola, Victoria in January (pictured)

In the report, Australia’s Critical Climate Risk Zones are defined as suburbs where at least 100 properties are located, and 80 to 100 per cent of all those properties (commercial and residential) are classified as High Risk Properties (HRP).

Locations with fewer than 100 properties have not been included in the list of suburbs.

Is your suburb in a critical climate risk zone? Find the full list below. 

LIST OF 86 SUBURBS IN CRITICAL CLIMATE RISK ZONES

Suburb (in alphabetical order)	State	Total properties	High Risk Properties	Percentage of High Risk Properties
Aldgate	SA	1,567	1,567	100.00%
Ali Curung	NT	156	128	82.05%
Ashton	SA	254	242	95.28%
Awaba	NSW	290	253	87.24%
Ballina	NSW	8,910	8,824	99.03%
Bar Point	NSW	247	202	81.78%
Basket Range	SA	210	184	87.62%
Belair	SA	2,016	1,984	98.41%
Bourke	NSW	1,527	1,473	96.46%
Bowen Mountain	NSW	696	559	80.32%
Bradbury	SA	127	119	93.70%
Brenda Park	SA	115	115	100.00%
Bridgewater	SA	1,695	1,675	98.82%
Broadwater	NSW	516	429	83.14%
Brookstead	QLD	201	180	89.55%
Brushgrove	NSW	131	130	99.24%
Bucketty	NSW	121	121	100.00%
Bundanah	NSW	214	176	82.24%
Canoelands	NSW	109	98	89.91%
Carey Gully	SA	237	229	96.62%
Charlotte Bay	NSW	317	288	90.85%
Chatsworth	NSW	123	103	83.74%
Chinderah	NSW	1,773	1,713	96.62%
Colo Heights	NSW	171	163	95.32%
Coromandel East	SA	145	138	95.17%
Crafers	SA	939	936	99.68%
Crafers West	SA	606	606	100.00%
Crangan Bay	NSW	211	211	100.00%
Cunnamulla	QLD	1,123	1,037	92.34%
Dampier Peninsula	WA	120	103	85.83%
Eagleton	NSW	140	113	80.71%
East Wardell	NSW	199	199	100.00%
Empire Vale	NSW	118	117	99.15%
Fairy Bower	QLD	153	127	83.01%
Ferodale	NSW	152	127	83.55%
Forest Range	SA	148	147	99.32%
Glenalta	SA	852	846	99.30%
Greenhill	SA	208	208	100.00%
Groper Creek	QLD	107	105	98.13%
Harwood	NSW	240	239	99.58%
Hawthorndale	SA	1,394	1,244	89.24%
Heathfield	SA	445	445	100.00%
Holgate	NSW	372	371	99.73%
Hollands Landing	VIC	343	322	93.88%
Hovea	WA	309	307	99.35%
Ironbank	SA	217	216	99.54%
Keith Hall	NSW	103	99	96.12%
Kialla West	VIC	185	156	84.32%
Lenswood	SA	303	267	88.12%
Longwood	SA	116	115	99.14%
Louth	NSW	174	149	85.63%
Mahogany Creek	WA	371	302	81.40%
Manangatang	VIC	261	233	89.27%
Martinsville	NSW	237	218	91.98%
Matcham	NSW	448	425	94.87%
Montacute	SA	207	203	98.07%
Mount George	SA	145	135	93.10%
Mylor	SA	559	486	86.94%
North Arm Cove	NSW	971	798	82.18%
North Shore	NSW	228	185	81.14%
Norton Summit	SA	310	307	99.03%
Nyngan	NSW	1,642	1,358	82.70%
Otford	NSW	179	178	99.44%
Palmers Island	NSW	261	261	100.00%
Pampas	QLD	122	106	86.89%
Paynes Crossing	NSW	113	97	85.84%
Pomona	NSW	114	103	90.35%
Ryhope	NSW	101	101	100.00%
Salt Ash	NSW	729	596	81.76%
Scott Creek	SA	131	129	98.47%
Seahampton	NSW	134	134	100.00%
Shepparton	VIC	18,988	16,775	88.35%
Shepparton North	VIC	1,055	845	80.09%
Skye	SA	158	150	94.94%
Spencer	NSW	339	331	97.64%
Stirling	SA	1,769	1,769	100.00%
Stonyfell	SA	528	487	92.23%
Tacoma South	NSW	115	113	98.26%
Tumbulgum	NSW	204	191	93.63%
Tummaville	QLD	109	94	86.24%
Tweed Heads South	NSW	6,400	5,280	82.50%
Upper Sturt	SA	448	443	98.88%
Walgett	NSW	1,413	1,146	81.10%
Webb	QLD	249	219	87.95%
West Ballina	NSW	2,086	1,953	93.62%
Woodford Island	NSW	163	145	88.96%
(Source: Climate Council and Climate Valuation (part of The Climate Risk Group) April 2025.)

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Revealed: The 86 suburbs in Australia where properties could become IMPOSSIBLE to insure. So is yours on the list?

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