Darkes Forest NSW 2508
Located in New South Wales, Darkes Forest sits 65 km from Sydney CBD, around 1 hour 10 minutes by car. The suburb has 95 residents, a median age of 45, and a median household income of $136,448 per year. On socioeconomic measures it sits in the top 20% nationally. Population fell 17.4% from 2016 to 2021. The 2021 Census recorded a median rent of $488 per week and a median monthly mortgage of $1,326. The area shows high bushfire risk. Walkability is low.
This suburb is too small to rate.
The Liveability Rating is calculated for suburbs of 500 residents or more, and this one has 95. Below that the school, census and safety figures behind the score cover too few people to rank fairly against the rest of the state. The individual measures further down this page are still shown.
How do you rate the liveability in Darkes Forest?
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Our score
Not enough data to score this suburb.
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Rental Market
Rent agreed on new leases
Jul–Sep 2026- All rentals
- $810/wk
- 32 bonds
- +28% since 2021
Median weekly rent on bonds lodged for new tenancies across postcode 2508 (NSW publishes bonds by postcode, which can cover several suburbs). Change since 2021 compares the median of the first four quarters with the last four. Asking rents above come from advertised listings.
Rental affordability
June quarter 202581 Unaffordable · the average rental household in this region would pay about 37% of its income on the median rent in postcode 2508.
SGS Rental Affordability Index: a score of 100 means rent takes 30% of income, the usual housing-stress line; lower scores are less affordable. "Region" is the capital city or the rest of the state.
Is Darkes Forest safe? Crime statistics
2025Crime in Darkes Forest sits in the low band, with 2 incidents recorded in 2025 — down roughly 33% on the prior year.
2 offences
33.3% since 2024Crime Trend
Serious Road Crashes
2021–20253 crashes
where someone was killed or admitted to hospital
Crashes are counted where they happened, so a main road through the suburb carries people passing through; this is not a measure of risk to residents. Roads are listed with 3 or more serious crashes.
Council Flood Studies
Wollongong City Council has published 22 flood studies on the NSW Flood Data Portal. The mapped flood areas are in those studies; SuburbScan does not hold them.
- Hewitts Creek Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan July 2026 2026
- Collins Creek Floodplain Risk Management Study & Plan 2025
- Fairy & Cabbage Tree Creeks FRMS&P 2024 2024
- Allans Creek Flood Study & Floodplain Risk Management Study and Plan 2024 2024
- Towradgi Creek Flood Study, Floodplain Risk Management Study & Plan 2023 2023
Schools
Walkability
Darkes Forest is very car-dependent on foot — at 13/100, nearly all errands require a car.
NBN connectivity
The internet access technology available across NBN premises in Darkes Forest.
- Full-fibre (FTTP) share
- 0%
- Premises covered
- 10
NBN Co fixed-line and fixed-wireless premises, as at 30 December 2025. Higher-quality technologies (full fibre) score above copper, wireless, and satellite. Actual speeds depend on your plan.
Amenities
Wollongong: council population
The three add up to the change above. These are council-wide figures from the ABS, not figures for this suburb alone — this suburb's own population is in the census section above.
Socio-economic profile
Darkes Forest is home to 95 residents, with a median age of 45, a touch above the national 38. Median household income runs at $136,000 a year, with unemployment at 0.0%.
2021 Census · change since 2016
Population
95
Median Age
45
Median Household Income
$136,448/yr
Census Median Rent
$488/wk
Census Median Mortgage
$1,326/mo
Avg Household Size
3.2
Median Personal Income
$48,516/yr
Unemployment Rate
0.0%
Unoccupied Dwellings
0.0%
Total Dwellings
26
Owner-Occupier Rate
62.5%
Houses
92.3%
Rental Stress
18.6%
Mortgage Stress
11.7%
Work From Home
40.7%
Dwelling Types
Property Ownership
Demographics
- Born in Australia
- 88.4%
- English Spoken at Home
- 92.6%
- Employment Rate
- 79.7%
- Completed Year 12
- 49.5%
Occupations
Religion
Languages Spoken at Home
Top languages other than English, as a share of all residents.
Age Distribution
Family & Household Composition
Commute to Work
Education
Cars per Dwelling
Council Rates
Households face an average residential rates bill of $1,751 a year through Wollongong based on 2024 figures.
How this land is zoned
- Environmental 98%
- Infrastructure and transport 2%
- Zones under 1% 1%
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 — the property page shows the zone for one address.
Building Approvals: Wollongong
In the year to August 2026, 1,476 new dwellings were approved across Wollongong. That mix is 422 houses and 1,054 units. Approvals are down 31.3% on the same period a year earlier.
Aboriginal Land Council
Aboriginal land in this area is administered by the Illawarra Local Aboriginal Land Council.
Local Aboriginal Land Councils are statutory bodies under the Aboriginal Land Rights Act 1983, responsible for land claims and land management for their members. Their boundaries are administrative and are not a statement of whose Country this is. NSW does not publish a register of Aboriginal parties by area — they are registered for each project.
Air Quality
MODERATEPM2.5 averaged 5.8 µg/m³ in 2025 — below Australia's NEPM annual standard (8 µg/m³), slightly above the stricter WHO guideline (5 µg/m³).
PM10 averaged 14.8 µg/m³ · NO₂ averaged 0.97 pphm. Days over the limit in 2025: PM10 0 · NO₂ 0 · ozone 1.
From the Campbelltown West monitoring station, 19.6 km away.
Climate & Setting
from Lucas Heights (Ansto), 19.4 kmHigh rainfall.
- Elevation
- 368 m
- above sea level, at the suburb centre
- Distance to the ocean
- 7.1 km
- Annual rainfall
- 1,038 mm
- 89 rainy days
- Summer max (Jan)
- —
- Winter min (Jul)
- —
Elevation is the ground at the suburb centre, from Geoscience Australia's National Digital Elevation Model. Approximate — it reads high in dense built-up areas. It is a measure of height above sea level and not an indicator of flood risk, which depends on height above nearby waterways.
EV adoption
In postcode 2508, 86 of 6,921 registered light vehicles are battery-electric on 31 January 2025. A further 3.0% (208 vehicles) are hybrid or plug-in hybrid, taking the non-petrol, non-diesel share to 4.2%.
Rooftop solar
In postcode 2508, 1,385 rooftop-solar systems totalling 9.7 MW have been installed since 2001, against 3,241 dwellings recorded in the 2021 Census. 139 went up in the last year.
Counts every system certified since 2001, so a roof re-fitted with a newer system is counted twice, and small commercial systems are included alongside houses — useful for comparing postcodes, not an estimate of how many homes have working panels today.
2026 covers part of the year only, to 2026-07.
First Home Owner Grant
FY2026-27$10,000 for new homes priced up to $600,000.
Off-the-plan or contracted-build value cap is $750,000 (vs $600,000 for completed new homes). Stamp duty concessions are a separate scheme (First Home Buyers Assistance).
Federal Electorate
Currently held by Alison Byrnes Australian Labor Party
| Year | Winner | 2PP ALP | 2PP LNP | Swing |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | Alison Byrnes | 67.5% | 32.5% | +2.5 |
| 2022 | Alison Byrnes | 64.7% | 35.3% | -1.3 |
| 2019 | Sharon Bird | 63.4% | 36.6% | -0.1 |
Results are per division — federal electoral boundaries are redrawn periodically, so the history reflects this division's past, not necessarily the exact suburb's voters across time.
State Electorate
Currently held by Maryanne Stuart Labor
Next state election: 13 March 2027.
| Year | Winner | Won with |
|---|---|---|
| 2023 | Maryanne Stuart ALP | 60.0% |
| 2019 | Lee Evans LP | 55.0% |
| 2015 | Lee Evans LP | 57.6% |
Results are per district. Districts were last redrawn in 2021, so results from before then describe the district of that name, not necessarily this suburb's voters. Results: © State of New South Wales through the NSW Electoral Commission, CC BY 4.0, adapted.
Looking at a specific address in Darkes Forest?
Every figure above is a suburb average, and an average smooths over the difference between a street of family homes and a block of flats. Look up one address and you get the census for the few hundred people around it, its own nearest schools and stops, and what the state has mapped for that block.
- The census for a few hundred neighbours, not all 95 residents
- Nearest and zoned schools, with the walk from that door
- Flood, bushfire and noise mapping, where the state publishes it
Free to look up. Subscribers see every section in full — $29/month.
Nearby suburbs
Compare Darkes Forest to another suburb
Side-by-side stats for any other NSW suburb — type a name and pick one.
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Common questions about Darkes Forest
Is Darkes Forest a safe place to live?
Recorded crime in Darkes Forest is low (37/100, ranked against other NSW suburbs on offences per resident).
What natural hazards affect Darkes Forest?
Darkes Forest has a high recorded bushfire history (89/100, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history). These are suburb-wide figures; check the address, as flood and bushfire exposure change street by street.
What is the population of Darkes Forest?
Darkes Forest, NSW had a population of 95 at the 2021 Australian Bureau of Statistics census.
What is the postcode for Darkes Forest, NSW?
The postcode for Darkes Forest, NSW is 2508.
How far is Darkes Forest from Sydney?
Darkes Forest is 65 km from Sydney CBD by road, about 68 minutes by car in normal traffic. Distance is the most-direct driving route, not straight-line.
What is the median household income in Darkes Forest?
At the 2021 ABS Census, median household income in Darkes Forest was $136,448 a year. It is the most recent suburb-level income figure until 2026 Census results are released in 2027.
What is the median weekly rent in Darkes Forest?
There are too few current rental listings in Darkes Forest for a reliable median. At the 2021 ABS Census the median weekly rent was $488, across all dwelling types.
What is the median age in Darkes Forest?
The median age of residents in Darkes Forest was 45 at the 2021 ABS Census.
Is Darkes Forest at risk of bushfire?
Darkes Forest has a high recorded bushfire history (89/100). The score comes from Geoscience Australia's historical bushfire boundaries, with planned burns excluded: the area of recorded fires touching the suburb relative to its size, ranked against every Australian suburb with any fire history. It records where fire has burned, not a bushfire-prone land designation, which your council's planning scheme sets.
Is Darkes Forest walkable?
Darkes Forest scores 13/100 on the SuburbScan Walkability Score, making it very car-dependent. The score is a weighted average of public transport, schools, parks, supermarkets, GPs, pharmacies, childcare, and hospitals within walking distance.
What is the air quality in Darkes Forest?
The nearest government air-quality monitoring station to Darkes Forest (Campbelltown West) recorded a 2025 annual mean PM2.5 of 5.8 µg/m³ and PM10 of 14.8 µg/m³. That puts Darkes Forest below the Australian NEPM annual standard of 8 µg/m³ but above the stricter WHO guideline of 5 µg/m³.
What is the weather like in Darkes Forest?
At the nearest Bureau of Meteorology station to Darkes Forest, Lucas Heights (Ansto) (19.4 km away), 1,038 mm of rain a year over 89 rainy days over 2006-2026.
Is the First Home Owner Grant available in Darkes Forest?
First-home buyers in NSW may be eligible for $10,000 towards new homes with a purchase price up to $600,000. The grant is administered by Revenue NSW; confirm current eligibility before signing a contract — state rules and amounts can change.
What council does Darkes Forest belong to?
Darkes Forest sits within the Wollongong local government area. Council rates, planning approvals, and waste collection fall under this LGA.
How much are council rates in Darkes Forest?
The average residential rates bill through Wollongong is $1,751 a year (2024). Every suburb in this LGA shares the same schedule — individual bills vary with land value.
How much is being built near Darkes Forest?
Across Wollongong, 1,476 new residential dwellings were approved in the year to August 2026 (source: ABS Building Approvals). That's down 31.3% on the same period a year earlier. These are LGA-level totals — every suburb in the council shares the same figure.
Which federal electorate is Darkes Forest in?
Darkes Forest sits within the federal Division of Cunningham, currently held by Alison Byrnes (Australian Labor Party).
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Data freshness
- Census · 2021
- Council rates · FY 2024–25
- Building approvals · Aug 2026
- Schools · 2025
- NBN connectivity · Dec 2025
- Crime · 2025
- Road crashes · 2021–2025
- Air quality · 2025
- Climate · 2006–2026
- Socio-economic (SEIFA) · 2021
- EV adoption · Jan 2025
- First Home Owner Grant · Sep 2026
- Federal electorate · 2025
- State electorate · 2023
- Amenities · Sep 2026
- Health & emergency facilities · Sep 2026
- Industrial emissions (NPI) · 2024/2025
- Coastal erosion · 1988–2025
- Aircraft noise · 2024
Vintages show when each source's data is from. See all data sources.
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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.
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