Darkes Forest vs Stanwell Tops
Stanwell Tops is the younger of the two, with a median age of 38 against 45 in Darkes Forest. In both, most households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and most households are couple families. On these figures, Darkes Forest tends to suit couples, while Stanwell Tops suits families with children.
Which one suits you?
There is no overall winner — the suburb that suits a family with school-age kids is routinely the wrong one for someone commuting into the city. So each of these answers its own question, against a checklist you can see, using the same figures in the tables below.
Families with school-age kids
Too close to call
Nothing among the 6 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.
Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.
First-home buyers
Darkes Forest
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- leaves households under less mortgage stress (12% vs 23%)
Weighs mortgage stress.
Renters
Darkes Forest
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- has a bigger rental market to choose from (38% vs 15%)
- has cheaper rent ($488/wk vs $650/wk)
- leaves renters under less rental stress (19% vs 24%)
Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.
Commuting to the city
Stanwell Tops
ahead on 3 of the 3 things we measure here
- is more walkable (41/100 vs 13/100)
- sits closer to the CBD (56.8 km vs 64.6 km)
- has a shorter drive in (62 min vs 68 min)
Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.
Downsizers and retirees
They split
one each way, out of the 5 things we measure here
- Darkes Forest has more residents already 65 and over (23% vs 16%)
- Stanwell Tops is more walkable (41/100 vs 13/100)
Weighs smaller dwellings, who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.
Investors
Stanwell Tops
ahead on the one thing that separates them
- is growing faster (4.4% vs -17.4%)
Weighs population growth.
Where they sit
Darkes Forest and Stanwell Tops drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.
Bars start at zero. Scores, risks and rankings are drawn against their full 0–100 range; other rows are drawn in proportion to the larger of the two.
Side by side, out of 100
Risks are inverted — shown as safety and low exposure — so a longer bar always means better.
Demographics
Stanwell Tops has more residents (517 vs 95); Stanwell Tops rents higher ($650/wk vs $488/wk).
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 95 | 517 +444% vs other |
| Population trend (2016 → 2021) | -17.4% | +4.4% |
| Median age | 45 | 38 |
| Median household income | $136,448/yr | $138,476/yr +1% vs other |
| Median weekly rent | $488/wk | $650/wk +33% vs other |
Age profile
Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.0%).
Who lives together
Household composition, 2021 Census.
Who owns and who rents
Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.
What people live in
Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.
Qualifications
Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (18.9%).
Property market
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Median house price | — | $1,530,000 |
| Median unit price | — same for both | |
| Median land price | — same for both | |
| Typical days to sell (houses) | — | 11 days from 3 sales |
Zoning mix
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Environmental | 98% | 90% |
| Infrastructure and transport | 2% | 5% |
| Residential | 0% | 3% |
| Planning zones cover 100% of Darkes Forest and 99% of Stanwell Tops. The rest is unzoned land such as water or road reserve. | ||
| Zoning sets what may be built, not what is there today. A single address can sit in a different zone to the suburb around it. Zones as at 2026-09. | ||
Development activity
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| New dwellings approved | 1,476 across Wollongong same for both | |
| Approvals change year on year | -31% same for both | |
Ranking within NSW
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| House price | — | Higher than 76% of NSW |
| Income | Higher than 91% of NSW same for both | |
| Schools | — same for both | |
| Walkability | Higher than 62% of NSW | Higher than 79% of NSW |
| Affordability | — | Higher than 56% of NSW |
| EV adoption | Higher than 85% of NSW same for both | |
| NBN connectivity | Higher than 12% of NSW | Higher than 67% of NSW |
Liveability
Stanwell Tops is more walkable (41 vs 13).
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Grade | — | B |
| Score | — | 51/100 |
| Socio-economic band | very advantaged area decile 9/10 | very advantaged area decile 10/10 |
Risk profile
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Bushfire | High 89/100 | High 92/100 |
| Crime | Low 37/100 | Low 34/100 |
| Flood | Not mapped no mapped data here same for both | |
| Coastal erosion | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Aircraft noise | None 0/100 same for both | |
| Industrial facilities nearby | 0 within 5 km | 1 within 5 km |
Schools
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the suburb | 0 same for both | |
| Rated above peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated at peers | 0 same for both | |
| Rated below peers | 0 same for both | |
Amenities in the suburb
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Cafes & restaurants | 0 | 1 |
| Parks & reserves | 1 | 2 |
| Waterways | 3 | 8 |
Mobility
Darkes Forest sits further from the CBD (64.6 km vs 56.8 km).
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Walkability score | 13/100 | 41/100 |
| Distance to Sydney | 64.6 km +12% vs other | 56.8 km |
| Drive time (normal traffic) | 68 min | 62 min |
| Electric vehicle share | 1.2% postcode 2508 same for both | |
| Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings | 43 postcode 2508 same for both | |
How people get to work
Method of travel on census day 2021 — which fell during COVID restrictions, so working from home is inflated and every travel mode understated.
Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (59.3%).
Setting
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Elevation | 368 m above sea level, at the suburb centre | 264 m above sea level, at the suburb centre |
| Distance to the ocean | 7.1 km | 1.9 km 3.5 km to a named beach |
NBN connectivity
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Connectivity score | 15/100 | 54/100 |
| Most common technology | Satellite (Sky Muster) | Fibre to the node |
| Full-fibre (FTTP) share | 0% 10 premises | 17% 181 premises |
Climate
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Annual rainfall | 1,038 mm same for both | |
| Summer max (Jan) | — same for both | |
| Winter min (Jul) | — same for both | |
Air quality (annual mean)
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| PM2.5 | 5.8 µg/m³ | 6.2 µg/m³ |
| PM10 | 14.8 µg/m³ | 18.2 µg/m³ |
| NO₂ | 0.97 pphm | 0.66 pphm |
Council rates
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Average residential rate | $1,751/yr same for both | |
| Council | Wollongong same for both | |
Federal electorate
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Division | Cunningham same for both | |
| Member | Alison Byrnes same for both | |
| Party | Australian Labor Party same for both | |
First Home Owner Grant
| Darkes Forest | Stanwell Tops | |
|---|---|---|
| Grant amount | $10,000 same for both | |
| Property price cap | $600,000 same for both | |
| Eligibility | New same for both | |
Tags
More comparisons
Other comparisons with Darkes Forest
Other comparisons with Stanwell Tops
Information shown is provided as-is from Australian government and commercial data sources.
Always verify with the relevant authority before making property decisions.
See Data Sources and How We Calculate for details.