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ABS 2021 Census · Updated 21 May 2026
Darkwood is a coastal suburb in New South Wales, Australia, with a population of approximately 237, making it a boutique locality. Located approximately 405 km from the Sydney CBD, Darkwood is a coastal area in New South Wales. The median household income is $49,348 per year.
Household earnings in Darkwood are below the state average, which may affect long-term capital growth. The coastal setting provides a lifestyle factor that underpins property values.
Official Australia Post postcode for Darkwood. A postcode may cover multiple suburbs.
Australia Post Postcode Finder →Usual resident population at the most recent census.
Weekly median rent for occupied homes. Live rental data integration coming soon.
Annual median household income (before tax) across all households.
Straight-line distance from the suburb centroid to the nearest capital city CBD. Actual driving distance will be longer.
Estimated 1 school within or near this suburb.
Find schools near Darkwood on My School →Estimated 1 park and green spaces near this suburb.
Monthly median mortgage repayment for households currently paying off a mortgage.
Proportion of separate houses versus units, townhouses, and other home types. Useful for investors assessing rental demand mix.
Darkwood is a smaller community of 237 — about 4% of the New South Wales suburb median (5,325) — so investors should factor in the narrower buyer pool and longer average time-on-market. Darkwood's median household income of $49,348/year is 49% below the New South Wales suburb median ($97,552) — this is an affordability play where returns lean on yield and patient capital growth rather than demographic premium. Median weekly rent of $300 equates to $1,300/month — about 130% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,000/month — meaning rental income covers most of a typical owner's repayment and this is a genuine cash-flow suburb before tax benefits. Darkwood is 405 km from Sydney, so the local market tracks regional employment and lifestyle drivers more than CBD-driven commuter demand.
How Darkwood stacks up against the median of all New South Wales suburbs in our dataset. Positive values mean Darkwood sits above the state median; negative means below.
| Metric | Darkwood | NSW median | Δ vs state |
|---|---|---|---|
| Population | 237 | 5,325 | -96% |
| Median household income | $49,348/yr | $97,552/yr | -49% |
| Median rent (weekly) | $300 | $430 | -30% |
| Median mortgage (monthly) | $1,000 | $2,167 | -54% |
| Distance to CBD | 405 km | 45 km | +800% |
| Separate houses | 69% | 76% | -7pp |
Pre-inspection briefing for Darkwood — every item is derived from public datasets, with full citations in our data sources page.
Limited buy-and-hold upside: a small population of 237 means liquidity is thin and capital growth tends to lag the wider New South Wales market over full cycles.
Strong rental coverage: $300/week (~$1,300/month) covers 130% of the $1,000/month median mortgage repayment, so the shortfall sits at just $0/month. Investors targeting positive cash flow should shortlist this suburb.
With 69% houses in a 237-person market, renovation margins depend on individual street and aspect rather than any suburb-wide story — do comparable-sales analysis before committing capital.
Run the numbers on a Darkwood property
Scenario comparison, cash flow analysis, tax modelling, and PDF export — all in one place.
Create free account →Capital-growth expectations for Darkwood are modest for 2026 — incomes 49% below the NSW median of $97,552 and a population of 237 suggest gains will lag headline metro markets. Rental coverage runs at ~130% of the typical mortgage ($1,300/month rent vs $1,000/month repayment), keeping cash flow in positive or near-neutral territory. The EquitySight investment score of 33/100 places Darkwood in the lower tier of Australian suburbs we profile, and overall investor sentiment is cautious heading into the second half of 2026.
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Darkwood scores 33/100 on our EquitySight investment framework — a weak rating. That score is driven by a population of 237, median household income of $49,348/year and median weekly rent of $300. Whether it fits your portfolio depends on whether you are targeting cash flow, capital growth, or a value-add renovation — all three are scored with suburb-specific numbers elsewhere on this page.
The main demand drivers in Darkwood are a median household income of $49,348/year, a dwelling mix that is 69% separate houses, roughly 1 schools and 1 parks within the catchment. Together these shape both owner-occupier and tenant demand and are the factors we weight most heavily in the suburb's investment score.
Darkwood has a usual resident population of approximately 237, compared with a New South Wales suburb median of 5,325 — placing it in the lower half of the state's suburbs by size. Population is the clearest proxy for market depth: more residents mean more transactions and typically a shorter average days-on-market on resale.
Darkwood sits 405 km straight-line from the Sydney CBD. This is a regional market where CBD distance is only indicative — local industry diversity and commute alternatives matter more.
The most recent census recorded a median weekly rent of $300 in Darkwood, equating to approximately $15,600/year in gross rental income (state median $430/week). Market rents have typically drifted above the recorded figure — verify against current listings on realestate.com.au and Domain before making an offer.
The median monthly mortgage repayment in Darkwood is $1,000, or approximately $12,000/year (vs $2,167/month state median). Stress-test your own borrowing at rates 1–2 percentage points above today's to make sure you can still service the loan through an RBA tightening cycle.
A median weekly rent of $300 works out to $1,300/month, covering 130% of the median mortgage repayment of $1,000/month. That means rent exceeds the median repayment by roughly $300/month, so on these numbers Darkwood leans cash-flow-positive before accounting for strata, council rates, insurance and maintenance. Actual cash flow depends on your deposit, loan terms, ownership costs and marginal tax rate — run the full numbers in our rental yield calculator.
The main risks are a thin buyer pool (237 residents), interest-rate sensitivity on the $1,000 median mortgage, below-median household incomes ($49,348 vs $97,552 state median), the broader New South Wales market cycle. Each of these is covered in the Risk Factors section above with suburb-specific numbers rather than generic warnings.
Every number on this page comes from the ABS 2021 Census of Population and Housing, Australia Post postcode reference data, and OpenStreetMap amenity tiles. The investment score, strategy verdicts, and comparison table are computed deterministically from those inputs — no opinion, no estimation. See our full methodology and the data sources and licences for the formulas we use.