Darkes Forest flood map & planning overlays
A planning-constraint profile of Darkes Forest
(Wollongong, NSW) - 25.55 km², mapped from live council and
state overlay data. This suburb is highly constrained.
Profile updated 3 October 2026.
Suburb-wide figures; the free map shows which overlays touch your lot.
Constraint readout
25.55 km² - this suburb is highly constrained by planning overlays.
Elevation hillshade with street names, clipped to Darkes Forest's boundary, with the flood, bushfire and environmental overlays drawn on top. Magenta is where aircraft were observed in the sampled period, brightest below 3,000 ft.
Nearby suburbs, nearest first
Aircraft noise and flight paths over Darkes Forest
Two different things, kept apart on purpose. The ANEF contour is the planning instrument - a forecast published per airport that planning schemes use to control noise-sensitive development. Observed overflight is what a sampled aircraft-tracking feed actually recorded over the suburb - where aircraft flew, how low and how often.
Observed overflight - sampled 4 Sep to 2 Oct 2026
typical observed square 2 a day
Night movements: observed, lowest 2,500 ft - night is sampled as often as day, but night traffic is light, so this is a floor and no rate can be put on it.
Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously, so every figure is a floor: aircraft not captured between samples are not represented. Rates are per 500 m square - the busiest square in the suburb, not a count of flights over the suburb - and a square is only rated where enough traffic was seen to measure it. Altitudes are above mean sea level. Flight paths change with runway use, weather, season and airspace design. This is a record of observed traffic; it is not a noise contour and not a planning control.
Darkes Forest at a glance
How Darkes Forest is zoned
Buying in Darkes Forest? The zoning, flood and bushfire lines on the section 10.7 certificate attached to the contract are mapped controls - see our s10.7 certificate guide.
Across its 25.55 km², Darkes Forest is highly constrained by planning overlays. Flood mapping covers the suburb and none of it falls within a mapped flood overlay, and 98% is flagged bushfire-prone. The dominant land-use zone is Environmental Conservation. The median lot measures about 122,535 m² across 79 parcels.
Who lives in Darkes Forest
Census 2021 figures published by the ABS for the Darkes Forest suburb boundary itself, not a wider region.
Socio-economic standing
ABS SEIFA 2021 ranks every Australian suburb. Decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth of the country, decile 10 the least.
Score 1061, and decile 9 within New South Wales. The national average is 1000.
Age profile
Share of Darkes Forest's 95 residents in each ABS age band.
Population trend, 2001 to 2025
Estimated resident population of Helensburgh, the wider ABS statistical area containing Darkes Forest. There is no annual population series published at suburb level, so this describes the surrounding area rather than Darkes Forest itself.
8,118 in 2001 to 9,174 in 2025, up 13%.
Source: ABS Census 2021 and SEIFA 2021 (Suburbs and Localities), Regional Population (SA2), CC BY 4.0. Small counts are randomly adjusted by the ABS.
Darkes Forest data sources and coverage
“Not mapped” means we hold no source layer for this suburb - never an all-clear.
| Dataset | Coverage | Publisher |
|---|---|---|
| Flood mapping | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Bushfire-prone mapping | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Zoning | Mapped | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Heritage and environment | Mapped where published | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies |
| Aircraft noise contours (ANEF) | Not held | NSW Government spatial services, NSW ePlanning and published council flood studies, Defence |
| Observed flight paths | Observed | adsb.lol, under the Open Database License |
| Demographics | Available | Australian Bureau of Statistics (2021 Census and SEIFA) |
Profile last materially updated 3 October 2026. See the methodology and full source list. Source data changes over time and critical decisions should be checked with the responsible authority.
Check a specific Darkes Forest address
See exactly which overlays touch a single property - the interactive map is free. Need it on paper? A full planning PDF is just $9.
Aircraft have been seen below 3,000 ft over about 61% of Darkes Forest. The report's Aircraft Overflight page narrows that to the address itself: how many aircraft a day, how low, and at what heights.
Building or pricing a slab? The $119 geotechnical desktop report covers geology, soils, bores and an indicative AS 2870 site class for a Darkes Forest lot.
See what's in the $9 report →Darkes Forest planning - frequently asked
Is Darkes Forest flood-prone?
Flood mapping covers Darkes Forest and none of the suburb falls within a mapped flood overlay (the council-wide suburb average is 12%).
Is Darkes Forest bushfire-prone?
Around 98% of Darkes Forest is mapped as bushfire-prone, compared with a Wollongong average of 56%.
Is Darkes Forest under a flight path?
Aircraft were observed below 3,000 ft over about 61% of Darkes Forest, and over about 92% at any altitude up to 10,000 ft, in the period sampled (4 Sep 2026 to 2 Oct 2026). The lowest measured aircraft was at 1,000 ft, with an average of 5,500 ft. At the busiest point in the suburb about 8 aircraft a day were recorded passing over one 500 m square. Traffic is sampled rather than watched continuously and flight paths change with runway use, weather and season; the ANEF contour is the planning instrument.
What is the zoning in Darkes Forest?
The dominant planning zone in Darkes Forest is Environmental Conservation, though the suburb also includes National Parks and Nature Reserves and Environmental Management.
Does Darkes Forest have heritage-listed places?
No heritage-listed places are on record within Darkes Forest.
What is the typical lot size in Darkes Forest?
Across 79 surveyed parcels in Darkes Forest, the median lot size is about 122,535 m².
Does Darkes Forest have a train station?
There is no train station inside Darkes Forest itself. The suburb is served by 2 bus stops.
What is the population of Darkes Forest?
At the 2021 Census Darkes Forest had 95 usual residents, with a median age of 45 and an average household size of 3.2 people. The wider Helensburgh statistical area, which contains Darkes Forest, went from 8,118 people in 2001 to 9,174 in 2025, up 13%.
Is Darkes Forest an advantaged suburb?
On the ABS SEIFA 2021 index of relative socio-economic advantage and disadvantage (IRSAD), Darkes Forest scores 1061 and sits in decile 9 of 10 nationally and decile 9 within New South Wales (decile 1 is the most disadvantaged tenth, decile 10 the least).
What is the median household income in Darkes Forest?
Median household income in Darkes Forest was $2,624 a week at the 2021 Census, against $1,912 for the typical suburb in Wollongong. Median rent was $488 a week and the median mortgage repayment $1,326 a month.
Compare nearby suburbs
| Nearby suburb | Distance | Flood mapped | Bushfire-prone |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stanwell Tops | 4.8 km | 0% | 100% |
| Stanwell Park | 5.2 km | 0% | 87% |
| Coalcliff | 5.3 km | 0% | 96% |
| Maddens Plains | 5.9 km | 0% | 99% |
| Clifton | 6.2 km | 0% | 96% |
| Scarborough | 6.5 km | 0% | 91% |
| Helensburgh | 7.0 km | 0% | 92% |
| Woronora Dam | 7.1 km | 0% | 99% |
| Wombarra | 7.1 km | 0% | 76% |
| Otford | 7.4 km | 0% | 99% |