Darkes Forest is a rural locality in the

Wollongong Wollongong ( ), colloquially referred to as The Gong, is a city located in the Illawarra region of New South Wales, Australia. The name is believed to originate from the Dharawal language, meaning either 'five islands/clouds', 'ground near wate ...

and

Wollondilly Shire Wollondilly Shire is a periurban local government area adjacent to the south-western fringe of Sydney Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Aus ...

local government areas A local government area (LGA) is an administrative division of a country that a local government is responsible for. The size of an LGA varies by country but it is generally a subdivision of a state, province, division, or territory. The phrase i ...

. At the , it had a population of 115. It is home to the Dharawal National Park and also features several farms. Darkes Glenbernie Orchard is the last remaining commercial orchard in Darkes Forest. Orchards were a feature of the area from 1890 when a French vigneron identified the area as being suitable for growing. The orchard grows predominantly apples and stone fruits. In recent years the farm has been value adding to its fresh product. Several products are made from its fresh produce and honey. The farm uses its fruit to make apple cider and apple cider vinegar. Darkes Cider won gold medals at the World Cider Awards 2017 & 2018. Darkes Brewing has also won accolades for its honey meads, including a carbonated mead. The orchard has become an iconic regional tourism attraction and many people visit to experience picking fruit from mid November till May each year. The farm uses a 50-seat tractor train to take visitors on interpretive tours through the 100 acre farm.

References

Wollongong Localities in New South Wales {{NewSouthWales-geo-stub