Explore Darkes Forest, New South Wales, Australia, with this interactive street and satellite map. You can “grab” the Darkes Forest, NSW map and move it around to re-centre it. You can change between standard map view and satellite map view by clicking the small square in the bottom left-hand corner of the map. You can use the zoom buttons on the lower right side of the map to zoom in or out to street-level detail.
This page also offers TOPO MAPS — Geoscience Australia topographic mapping and the classic NATMAP 1:250 000 sheets — plus a labelled MGA grid overlay, a distance and bearing tool, and a GPS grid-reference readout. See How to Use This Map below. You will find live weather, local and world news further down the page.
This interactive map shows the street layout and satellite imagery for Darkes Forest, New South Wales, Australia. Use the Map and Satellite buttons above to switch between street map and aerial imagery views. Use the + and − buttons to zoom in or out, or scroll your mouse wheel while holding the Control key to zoom. On a touchscreen, use a two-finger pinch gesture to zoom in and out.
Click ⛶ Fullscreen to expand the map to fill your screen for a larger view. To return to the normal page view, press the Escape key on your keyboard, click the ✕ Exit Fullscreen button that appears above the map, or on a mobile device tap the back button (Android) or the close icon (iOS).
Drag the map to pan to any area of New South Wales or beyond. Switch to Satellite view to see high-resolution aerial photography of Darkes Forest and surrounding areas, including streets, buildings, parks and waterways.
TOPO MAPS — NEW. Click the green 🔍 Search Maps button below the map to open a second map with a Base map row offering three choices. OSM is the standard OpenStreetMap street map. Topo shows the Geoscience Australia National Base Map — seamless topographic mapping covering the mainland, Tasmania and the external territories. NATMAP 250K shows the classic NATMAP 1:250 000 map sheets, mosaicked nationwide — the printed sheets generations of Australians navigated the outback with. The search box finds any Australian town, suburb or landmark by name, so you are not limited to Darkes Forest.
Reading the map like a paper sheet. Click Grid to overlay the Map Grid of Australia (MGA), labelled along the edges exactly as a printed topographic sheet is — at normal zoom the squares are one kilometre across, so you can read a six-figure grid reference by eye and judge distance directly off the map. Click Measure, then tap two points, to get the distance between them together with the grid bearing in degrees and mils, the true bearing, and the magnetic bearing to set on a compass.
Click 📍 My position to take a single GPS reading from your device. It marks where you are and reports your position as an MGA grid reference as well as plain latitude and longitude — the grid reference being what emergency services and search and rescue work from — with a Copy position button so you can paste it straight into a text message. It takes one reading and stops, rather than tracking continuously, to conserve your battery. Note that map tiles need mobile coverage, but a GPS reading does not — your coordinates stay correct even where the map itself cannot load, which across much of inland Australia is most of the time.
Map search is available for a limited number of queries per session to manage costs. Be specific — search precisely for best results.
| Locality | Darkes Forest |
| State | New South Wales (NSW) |
| Local Government Area | Wollongong City Council |
| Country | Australia |
| Timezone | Australian Eastern Time (AEST/AEDT) |
| Remoteness | Inner Regional Australia |
| Latitude | -34.21639 |
| Longitude | 150.92422 |
| Population | 107 |
| Density | 4.2 /km² |
| Area | 25.6 km² |
| Elevation | 367 m |
| Postcode | 2508 |
| Area Code | 02 |
| Distance to Sydney | 47 km southwest |
Darkes Forest is a locality in the Wollongong City Council local government area of New South Wales, Australia. It is a small community with a population of 107. The locality covers an area of 25.6 km², giving a population density of about 4.2 people per km². It sits at an elevation of around 367 m above sea level. It lies approximately 47 km southwest of Sydney. Darkes Forest is located at 34.2164°S, 150.9242°E. It observes Australian Eastern Time (AEST/AEDT). Postcode: 2508. The Australian Bureau of Statistics classifies the area as Inner Regional Australia.
Darkes Forest unfolds as a verdant expanse where the Illawarra escarpment begins its gentle descent towards the coast. It lies 23.8 km north of Wollongong, NSW (from Wollongong, NSW: bearing 7°T), and is situated 14.9 km north of Woonona. Here, the air carries the damp, earthy scent of rich soil and the subtle perfume of flowering wattles, a constant reminder of the surrounding bushland. The terrain, a mosaic of undulating hills and sheltered gullies, is cloaked in a dense canopy of eucalypts, their silvery leaves shimmering in the diffused sunlight that filters through, casting dappled patterns on the leaf litter below. Occasionally, a break in the trees reveals glimpses of cleared paddocks, their emerald hues a stark contrast to the deep greens of the forest, hinting at the human presence that has long shaped this landscape.
Historically, Darkes Forest was an area where hardy settlers carved out a living, their efforts etched not in grand monuments but in the enduring cleared land and the resilience of the native flora. The local economy, once tied to the land's bounty, now sees a blend of agricultural pursuits, with some properties still dedicated to grazing, and a growing appreciation for the region's natural beauty, drawing visitors seeking a breath of fresh air and a connection to the bush. This quiet corner of the Illawarra retains a distinct character, a place where the rhythm of the day is dictated by the sun's arc and the whisper of the wind through the gum trees, a gentle unfolding of life that feels both timeless and deeply rooted.
Sources: curated tourist landmarks, CAPAD 2024 (Australian protected areas), OpenStreetMap.
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This page provides a street and satellite map of Darkes Forest, New South Wales. Live weather conditions with current observations and a 7-day forecast are powered by Open-Meteo. Real-time local news and world news feeds keep the page current, while an editorially written description provides background on Darkes Forest, in the Wollongong City Council local government area.
Detailed location data for Darkes Forest includes the postcode (2508), telephone area code (02), and local government area (Wollongong City Council), with an ABS remoteness classification of Inner Regional Australia. These are among the most commonly searched location details for any Australian city, town or locality.
Search Maps opens a second, independent map. It searches OpenStreetMap for any Australian town, suburb or landmark by name; offers Geoscience Australia topographic mapping and the classic NATMAP 1:250 000 sheets as base layers; overlays a labelled Map Grid of Australia (MGA) so the map can be read like a printed topographic sheet; measures distance and grid, true and magnetic bearings between any two points; and takes a single GPS fix reporting your position as an MGA grid reference and as latitude and longitude. Map tiles require mobile coverage, but a GPS position does not, so the coordinates remain correct even where the map cannot load.
Location data is drawn from Geoscape Administrative Boundaries (GDA2020) and enriched with GeoNames and Australian Bureau of Statistics data, matched by coordinate proximity — ensuring the correct Darkes Forest is identified even where the name is shared across multiple localities.
| Page generated | September 2026 |
| Location data | Geoscape Administrative Boundaries (GDA2020); enriched with GeoNames and ABS 2021 Census data, matched by coordinate proximity |
| Map layers | Google Maps; © OpenStreetMap contributors; © Geoscience Australia National Base Map and NATMAP 1:250 000 (CC BY 4.0); magnetic declination from NOAA NCEI (World Magnetic Model) |
| Description | Editorial description generated with AI assistance from verified Geoscape, ABS and GeoNames location data. |