We love our celebrated, world-famous structures in Sydney, but there are also heaps of secluded places that have a surreal, magical quality to them, like the secret Woy Woy waterfall. But, another favourite has to be the Lithgow Glow Worm Tunnel.
How to get to the Lithgow Glow Worm Tunnel
Located in Wollemi National Park in the Blue Mountains, there’s only a couple of ways you can get to the Lithgow Glow Worm Tunnel.
The Glow Worm Tunnel is located about 35 kilometres north of Lithgow and if you’ve already arrived in town, it’s best reached via State Mine Gully Road. If coming straight from Sydney, turn right onto Old Bells Line of Road when passing through Clarence. However, this route is best tackled with a 4WD.
Either of these two routes gets you to Glowworm Tunnel Road and then it’s just 20-odd kilometres along an unsealed road to get to the closest walking track to the Lithgow Glow Worm Tunnel. However, if at the Old Coach Road intersection you turn right, the walk to the Glow Worm Tunnel is a little longer (four kilometres as opposed to two kilometres).
While 2WD are fine in dry conditions, wet weather means 4WD only as the road is in very poor condition with many potholes.
The hike up to the tunnels is exciting in itself. Surrounded by gigantic sandstone cliffs, prehistoric rock pagodas and massive green forests, it’s like visiting another time altogether.
The experience inside the caves is magical. Once your eyes adjust to the roof and the darkness around, you can see the ceiling light up; layers of bioluminescence radiating across the walls and roof.
Alternative Route
The alternative route to the Lithgow Glow Worm Tunnel is from the north, and while the unsealed road is only a one-kilometre stretch, the walk ends up being an eight-kilometre up-and-back track as opposed to two or four kilometres. So, you got to decide if you’re into a short walk or a long walk.
If you’re still keen, then you’re going to want to find the beginning of the walking track on Wolgan Road.
For more information on the Lithgow Glow Worm Tunnel, check out the National Parks NSW website.