Deer Vale vs Darkwood

In both, the large majority of households own their home, the large majority of homes are detached houses, and about half of households are people living alone. On these figures, Darkwood tends to suit older residents.

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

They split

one each way, out of the 6 things we measure here

  • Deer Vale is already more of a family suburb (51% vs 42%)
  • Darkwood has more schools rated above their peers (2 vs 0)

Weighs schools, house stock, crime, parks, childcare, and who already lives there.

First-home buyers

Too close to call

Nothing among the 1 things we measure here separates them by enough to be worth acting on.

Weighs mortgage stress.

Renters

Deer Vale

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • leaves renters under less rental stress (25% vs 32%)

Weighs rent, rental stress, and how much is for rent.

Commuting to the city

Darkwood

ahead on 2 of the 3 things we measure here

  • sits closer to the CBD (548.7 km vs 569.4 km)
  • has a shorter drive in (384 min vs 394 min)
  • But Deer Vale is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)

Weighs distance, drive time, and walkability.

Downsizers and retirees

They split

one each way, out of the 4 things we measure here

  • Deer Vale is more walkable (17/100 vs 0/100)
  • Darkwood has more residents already 65 and over (25% vs 16%)

Weighs who already lives there, GPs, walkability, and crime.

Investors

Darkwood

ahead on the one thing that separates them

  • is growing faster (33.9% vs -21.5%)

Weighs population growth.

Where they sit

Deer Vale and Darkwood drawn to the same scale. Both outlines are shown together, so the map answers whether they share a border and how their areas compare.

Deer Vale Darkwood
Hides rows where both suburbs match

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.

Deer Vale Darkwood
Walkability 17 / 0
Deer Vale — Walkability: 17/100 Darkwood — Walkability: 0/100
Safety 36 / 30
Deer Vale — Safety: 36/100 Darkwood — Safety: 30/100
Low fire risk 16 / 37
Deer Vale — Low fire risk: 16/100 Darkwood — Low fire risk: 37/100

Demographics

Darkwood has more residents (237 vs 128); Deer Vale has higher household incomes ($58,500 vs $49,348).

Deer Vale Darkwood
Population 128 237
+85% vs other
Population trend (2016 → 2021) -21.5% +33.9%
Median age 47
same for both
Median household income $58,500/yr
+16% vs other
 $49,348/yr
Median weekly rent $280/wk $300/wk
+7% vs other

Age profile

Share of residents in each band, 2021 Census.

Deer Vale Darkwood
0-4 6.2% / 3.8%
Deer Vale — 0-4: 6.2% Darkwood — 0-4: 3.8%
5-14 14.8% / 16.9%
Deer Vale — 5-14: 14.8% Darkwood — 5-14: 16.9%
15-19 2.3% / 5.9%
Deer Vale — 15-19: 2.3% Darkwood — 15-19: 5.9%
20-24 2.3% / 5.9%
Deer Vale — 20-24: 2.3% Darkwood — 20-24: 5.9%
25-34 9.4% / 4.6%
Deer Vale — 25-34: 9.4% Darkwood — 25-34: 4.6%
35-44 7.0% / 11.0%
Deer Vale — 35-44: 7.0% Darkwood — 35-44: 11.0%
45-54 11.7% / 15.6%
Deer Vale — 45-54: 11.7% Darkwood — 45-54: 15.6%
55-64 14.8% / 16.0%
Deer Vale — 55-64: 14.8% Darkwood — 55-64: 16.0%
65-74 11.7% / 20.7%
Deer Vale — 65-74: 11.7% Darkwood — 65-74: 20.7%
75-84 2.3% / 4.6%
Deer Vale — 75-84: 2.3% Darkwood — 75-84: 4.6%
85+ 2.3% / —
Deer Vale — 85+: 2.3% Darkwood — 85+: not among its largest

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (20.7%).

Who lives together

Household composition, 2021 Census.

Deer Vale 48.8% lone person
Deer Vale — Lone Person: 48.8% Deer Vale — Couple Families: 31.7% Deer Vale — One Parent Families: 19.5% Deer Vale — Group Household: 0.0%
Darkwood 47.7% lone person
Darkwood — Lone Person: 47.7% Darkwood — Couple Families: 26.2% Darkwood — One Parent Families: 15.4% Darkwood — Group Household: 10.8%
Lone Person Couple Families One Parent Families Group Household

Who owns and who rents

Occupied private dwellings by tenure, 2021 Census.

Deer Vale 10.6% renting
Deer Vale — Owned Outright: 57.4% Deer Vale — Mortgage: 31.9% Deer Vale — Renting: 10.6%
Darkwood 18.8% renting
Darkwood — Owned Outright: 66.2% Darkwood — Mortgage: 15.0% Darkwood — Renting: 18.8%
Owned outright Mortgage Renting

What people live in

Occupied private dwellings by structure, 2021 Census.

Deer Vale 100.0% houses
Deer Vale — Houses: 100.0% Deer Vale — Flats / Apartments: 0.0%
Darkwood 98.9% houses
Darkwood — Houses: 98.9% Darkwood — Flats / Apartments: 1.1%
Houses Flats / Apartments

Qualifications

Highest non-school qualification, residents 15+, 2021 Census.

Deer Vale Darkwood
Bachelor Degree 10.9% / 16.5%
Deer Vale — Bachelor Degree: 10.9% Darkwood — Bachelor Degree: 16.5%
Certificate III & IV 14.1% / 12.2%
Deer Vale — Certificate III & IV: 14.1% Darkwood — Certificate III & IV: 12.2%
Advanced Diploma / Diploma 7.0% / 11.8%
Deer Vale — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 7.0% Darkwood — Advanced Diploma / Diploma: 11.8%
Postgraduate Degree 3.1% / 5.5%
Deer Vale — Postgraduate Degree: 3.1% Darkwood — Postgraduate Degree: 5.5%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (16.5%).

Property market

Deer Vale Darkwood
Median house price — $1,100,000
Median unit price —
same for both
Median land price —
same for both

Zoning mix

Darkwood has more land zoned for conservation (90% vs 26%); Deer Vale has more rural and farming land (74% vs 10%).

Deer Vale Darkwood
Environmental 26% 90%
Rural and farming 74% 10%
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

Deer Vale Darkwood
New dwellings approved 40
across Bellingen
same for both
Approvals change year on year +12%
same for both

Ranking within NSW

Deer Vale Darkwood
House price — Higher than 57% of NSW
Income Higher than 19% of NSW Higher than 10% of NSW
Schools —
same for both
Walkability Higher than 67% of NSW Higher than 27% of NSW
Affordability — Higher than 12% of NSW
EV adoption Higher than 37% of NSW Higher than 80% of NSW
NBN connectivity Higher than 33% of NSW Higher than 14% of NSW

Liveability

Deer Vale is more walkable (17 vs 0).

Deer Vale Darkwood
Grade —
same for both
Score —
same for both
Socio-economic band mid-range socio-economic
decile 5/10
 mid-range socio-economic
decile 4/10

Risk profile

Deer Vale carries more bushfire risk (84 vs 63).

Deer Vale Darkwood
Bushfire High
84/100
 Moderate
63/100
Crime Moderate
64/100
 High
70/100
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
same for both

Schools

Deer Vale Darkwood
Inside the suburb 0 2
Rated above peers 0 2
Rated at peers 0
same for both
Rated below peers 0
same for both

Schools in Deer Vale

No schools recorded inside this suburb's boundary. Children here will be zoned to schools nearby.

Schools in Darkwood

  • Chrysalis School for Rudolf Steiner Education Independent · Combined above peers
  • Orama Public School Government · Primary above peers

Amenities in the suburb

Deer Vale Darkwood
Parks & reserves 2
same for both
Childcare 0 1
Waterways 27 32

Mobility

Deer Vale sits further from the CBD (569.4 km vs 548.7 km).

Deer Vale Darkwood
Walkability score 17/100 0/100
Distance to Sydney 569.4 km
+4% vs other
 548.7 km
Drive time (normal traffic) 394 min 384 min
Electric vehicle share 0.4%
postcode 2453
 0.9%
postcode 2454
Rooftop solar per 100 dwellings 55
postcode 2453
 70
postcode 2454

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.

Deer Vale Darkwood
Car (driver) 50.0% / 58.3%
Deer Vale — Car (driver): 50.0% Darkwood — Car (driver): 58.3%
Worked from Home 34.5% / 27.8%
Deer Vale — Worked from Home: 34.5% Darkwood — Worked from Home: 27.8%
Walked Only 8.6% / 6.9%
Deer Vale — Walked Only: 8.6% Darkwood — Walked Only: 6.9%
Car (passenger) 6.9% / 6.9%
Deer Vale — Car (passenger): 6.9% Darkwood — Car (passenger): 6.9%

Bars are drawn against the largest share shown (58.3%).

Setting

Deer Vale Darkwood
Elevation 1,174 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre
 170 m
above sea level, at the suburb centre

NBN connectivity

Deer Vale Darkwood
Connectivity score 23/100 15/100
Most common technology Fixed wireless Satellite (Sky Muster)
Full-fibre (FTTP) share 0%
52 premises
 0%
79 premises

Council rates

Deer Vale Darkwood
Average residential rate $1,592/yr
same for both
Council Bellingen
same for both

Federal electorate

Deer Vale Darkwood
Division Cowper
same for both
Member Pat Conaghan
same for both
Party The Nationals
same for both

First Home Owner Grant

Deer Vale Darkwood
Grant amount $10,000
same for both
Property price cap $600,000
same for both
Eligibility New
same for both

Tags

Deer Vale

River Rural

Darkwood

Professionals Retirees Rural

More comparisons

Other comparisons with Deer Vale

Deer Vale vs Bostobrick Deer Vale vs Fernbrook Deer Vale vs Hernani Deer Vale vs Tyringham

Other comparisons with Darkwood

Darkwood vs Thora Darkwood vs Kalang Darkwood vs Fernbrook Darkwood vs Bielsdown Hills Darkwood vs Dorrigo Mountain
Full data on Deer Vale Full data on Darkwood
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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.

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