This Glow Worm Tunnel has Reopened to Visitors After Being Upgraded by Hand

The Glow Worm Tunnel in NSW’s Wollemi National Park has received a $4.3 million upgrade which was completed manually by workers so not to disturb the glow worms.

Glow worms are sensitive to noise, light, and too much disruption, so all work to upgrade the area was done without the use of power tools. Materials were brought into the general area by helicopter, before 350 tonnes of it were pushed more than a kilometre by wheelbarrow through the forest to reach the tunnel. That is some proper hard yakka.

‘The amount of time it took for a brick to get from where it started to where we laid it was days’, said Senior Field Officer, Phil Parsons.

Pathway construction | Image by Taku Kjelgaard CloudHerd Commercial

Workers inside the 373m-long tunnel had to use battery-powered red lights to see, making visibility a challenge. David Merritt is a University of Queensland honorary associate professor who worked with the tunnel team. He explained that red light was used as it has little effect on glow worms.

‘Glow worms don’t see red lights’, he told the ABC. ‘When they detect [white] light, they will switch off.’

The deeper into the tunnel you go, the more red light you need | Image by Taku Kjelgaar CloudHerd Commercial

What do glow worm tunnel upgrades include?

The upgrades include 5.7km of new raised pathway to protect the stream that runs through the tunnel, as well as handrails to help guide visitors in the dark and prevent them from accidentally damaging the glow worm webs. There have also been new picnic tables and a toilet block installed and an expansion to the car park.

NSW Minister for the Environment Penny Sharpe said, ‘The new path through the wonderful Glow Worm Tunnel makes it safer and easier for visitors to access, and importantly, minimises disturbance to the glow worms’.

Road repairs also mean that 2WDs can now access the car park during dry weather, which will help more people access this part of the national park. Currently, around 50,000 visitors walk through the Glow Worm Tunnel each year.

The upgrades were jointly funded by the federal government, using the Bushfire Local Economic Recovery Fund, and the NSW Government. It’s hoped the upgrades will help bolster Lithgow’s tourism economy after severe damage to the area during multiple natural disasters.

‘Wollemi National Park is home to some of our most important flora and fauna, but was unfortunately victim to one of Australia’s largest ever bushfires during Black Summer, as well as flooding events in 2021 and 2022’, said NSW Senator, Deborah O’Neill. ‘The completion of this project will play an important role in Lithgow’s economic recovery.’

The new path is safer for people and glow worms | Image by Jo Cox

History of the Glow Worm Tunnel

The tunnel was built in the early 1900s as part of the Wolgan Valley Railway line. In 1932 the tunnel closed and that’s when the glow worms decided they’d found some prime real estate to call home. The glow worms were attracted to the tunnel because of the darkness, humidity, and the stream that runs through it, which provides them with a food source.

Shine bright like a glow worm | Photo by Taku Kjelgaard- CloudHerd Commercial

Aspects of the area’s heritage have been included in the pathway upgrade to showcase the history of the tunnel.

Visitors can learn more using a self-guided audio tour and immersive videos (which will be available in October) from the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service app and website, where you’ll also find information on how to visit the Glow Worm Tunnel yourself.

Read more: Mountain Biking to the Glow Worm Tunnel & Wollemi National Park

Trust me, you’ll want to pay a visit | Photo by Johnny Spencer

Feature image by Johnny Spencer