The town of Cowra is located in the Lachlan Valley, 220 km south-west of Sydney, on the banks of the Lachlan River. The Lachlan River rises in the Great Dividing Range and drains to the south and west with a catchment area at Cowra of 11,000 square kilometres. The upper catchment is situated in hilly country with steep slopes on both sides of the river; however, at Cowra, the floodplain is well defined and relatively wide through Cowra. The village of Gooloogong is situated on the left bank of the Lachlan River, some 30 km downstream of Cowra. It is also downstream of the confluence of the Lachlan River with the Belubula River, a major tributary that enters from the north. The catchment area at Gooloogong is approximately 16,000 square kilometres and the floodplain at Gooloogong is quite wide and well defined.

The methodology for preparation of the Floodplain Risk Management Study (FRMS) and Floodplain Risk Management Plan (FRMP) has involved several stages of documentation review, collection and analysis of data, modelling and consultation with the FRMC and the communities of Cowra and Gooloogong.