Described as being one of the most expensive privately funded engineering feats of its time, the Wolgan Valley Railway was the brainchild of Chief Railway Engineer Sir Henry Deane in 1906 and served the nearby Newnes Shale Oil Refinery for the first few decades of the 20th century.
The shay engines and rail lines; as well as the dedicated people that worked the railway, have long since gone and nature has now reclaimed much of this once revered and celebrated railway line.
Following the historical footprint of the Wolgan Valley Railway, the Glow Worm Tunnel Hike traverses often steeply graded and densely forested slopes onto spectacular panoramic views of the Wolgan Valley. The trail meanders through fern tree laden gorges, sandstone pagodas and canyons and mountain streams to the aptly named Glow Worm Tunnel. Entering the former railway tunnel and into an environment of complete darkness, guests are treated
to what some would describe as a celestial experience – the emergence of thousands of glow worms.
The Glow Worm Tunnel Hike is a half day 9km round hike that is suitable for families to the adventure seeker. The hike commences from the Wolgan Road Glow Worm Tunnel carpark in the Wolgan Valley.