NSW · Bellingen Council
Darkwood, 2454
Current weather
13°CClear sky
80% humidity · 7.8 km/h wind · 20.2° / 10.4° today · 2.4 mm rain
Updated
Desirability score
- Excellent transport
- High desirability
- Green suburb
Suburb profile
In Bellingen, Darkwood keeps a rural calm, a smaller community with room to breathe and a strong local rhythm. Distance from the capital is noticeable, but the trade-off is space, calm and a community that knows its neighbours. The landscape itself is part of the lifestyle: open paddocks, big skies and room to breathe.
Long-term locals and family households define much of the community, with plenty of young families in the mix. Life here is grounded in local routine rather than big-city choice, and that is part of the charm. Buses and nearby services make commuting and cross-suburb trips straightforward.
Housing carries a premium, but residents tend to feel the lifestyle justifies the commitment. The streetscape feels settled and established, with older homes giving the area a familiar, lived-in look.
The desirability score is below average, pulled down chiefly by weaker housing affordability and growth momentum relative to similar regional towns. Limited access to some essential local services also trimmed the result.
Population
- Population
- 237
- Median age
- 47
- Median household income / week
- $949
- Dwelling vacancy
- 35.9%
- Unoccupied private dwellings
- 47 of 131
- Median monthly mortgage
- $1,000
- Employment rate
- 44.2%
- Dwelling mix (houses / semi / flats)
- 10 / 0 / 0
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Employment, household income and age diversity (2021 Census)
Data sources & freshness
- 2021 Census — General Community Profile — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 Census release
The 2026 Census runs in August 2026; suburb-level updates are expected from mid-2027.
Housing
- Houses (January to March 2026)
- $630
- Rental bonds lodged (January to March 2026)
- 39
Median weekly rent from NSW DCJ rent tables. Figures can be unreliable where few bonds were lodged in the quarter.
Contributes to desirability score · Housing (15%) · Future Growth (7%)
Median price, rental yield and vacancy Recent price momentum
Data sources & freshness
- DCJ rent tables — NSW Department of Communities and Justice · Period: January to March 2026 · Updated on site · Quarterly releases
Crime & safety
- Total offences (Jan 2025 to Dec 2025)
- 14
- Against the person
- 5
- Against property
- 6
- Rate per 1,000 residents
- 59.1
- Person-crime prevalence
- About 1 in 47 residents
- State safety percentile
- 36.4th (lower crime is better)
- Decrease (daily rate)
- -6.4%
Reported offences decreased compared with the previous period.
Reported offences by period
Most common offence types
- Domestic Violence Related Assault39
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassment53
- Malicious Damage To Property66
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assault42
- Other Offences62
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Crime rate and year-on-year trend
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Period: Jan 2024 to Dec 2024 → Jan 2025 to Dec 2025; Jan 2025 to Dec 2025 · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
Public transport
33 public transport stops in this suburb
- 1135 Darkwood Rd
- 1156 Darkwood Rd
- 1244 Darkwood Rd
- 1306 Darkwood Rd
- Darkwood Rd After Orama Rd
Contributes to desirability score · Accessibility (15%)
Public transport stop coverage
Data sources & freshness
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · Period: current · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
Planning & development
Development applications from NSW Planning Portal (lodged 2020–2026).
3 planning-related records
2025· 1 proposal
April 2025
- Dwelling house; Erection of a new structure975 DARKWOOD ROAD DARKWOOD 2454Under Assessment
2023· 2 proposals
March 2023
- Other975 DARKWOOD ROAD DARKWOOD 2454Under Assessment
- Shed769 DARKWOOD ROAD DARKWOOD 2454Determined
Contributes to desirability score · Future Growth (7%)
Development and planning activity
Data sources & freshness
- Online DA development application register — NSW Department of Planning, Housing and Infrastructure · Period: 2020–2026 · Updated on site · Daily open-data feed (applications from Oct 2018)
Amenities
No OpenStreetMap amenities mapped for this suburb yet.
Contributes to desirability score · Lifestyle (15%)
Food, shopping, recreation and sport (OpenStreetMap)
Data sources & freshness
- OpenStreetMap amenities — OpenStreetMap contributors · Period: current · Updated on site · Weekly refresh
Socio-economic (SEIFA)
- IRSAD decile (2021)
- 4/10
- IRSD decile (2021)
- 2/10
SEIFA indexes from ABS 2021. Decile 10 = most advantaged / least disadvantaged in Australia.
Contributes to desirability score · Community (5%)
Socio-economic advantage (IRSAD decile)
Data sources & freshness
- SEIFA 2021 (IRSAD / IRSD) — Australian Bureau of Statistics · Period: 2021 · Updated on site · 2021 SEIFA release
Hazards
- Bushfire planning zone
- Overlay applies
Bushfire overlay checked at suburb centroid via NSW bush fire prone land mapping.
Contributes to desirability score · Safety (18%)
Bushfire hazard overlays
Data sources & freshness
- Hazard planning overlays — State government hazard layers · Period: current · Updated on site
Desirability Index
- Desirability score
- 18.3/100 — Below average
- National rank
- 6667th in Australia
- State rank
- 2071st in NSW
- Peer rank
- #555 among Country & regional · Mature suburbs
- Cohort rank
- #1004 among Country & regional suburbs
- Data confidence
- 60%
Data sources & freshness
- Suburb Guide desirability index — Suburb Guide (derived score) · Period: current · Updated on site · Derived from source metrics
Recent changes
- Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime39
- Intimidation, Stalking And Harassmentcrime53
- Malicious Damage To Propertycrime66
- Non-Domestic Violence Related Assaultcrime42
- Other Offencescrime62
- 1135 Darkwood Rdtransport
- 1156 Darkwood Rdtransport
- 1244 Darkwood Rdtransport
- 1306 Darkwood Rdtransport
- Darkwood Rd After Orama Rdtransport
Data sources & freshness
- BOCSAR postcode crime statistics — NSW Bureau of Crime Statistics and Research · Updated on site · Rolling 12-month windows
- Timetables Complete GTFS stops (© Transport for NSW, CC BY 4.0) — Transport for NSW — Open Data Hub · Updated on site · GTFS static feed (updated nightly)
More in Bellingen Council
Other suburbs in the same local government area.
Comparable suburbs
Similar population and socio-economic profile in other parts of New South Wales.