The inaugural walk that started it all. Far from the most difficult, but undoubtedly one of my personal favourites. The beauty of this hike is it can be tailored to your audience, depending on how far you want to take it.
If you have friends who are less inclined to step out of their comfort zones, this is the hike for them.
You would be hard-pressed to find anyone who doesn’t wonder at the magic of the little white-blue strands, scattered like stars across the ceiling of the tunnel; the purest light known to mankind. Everyone who sees this inadvertently has a moment of introspection.
Getting There:
Wollemi National Park is located approximately 2.5 hours north-west of Sydney. It’s just far enough to be a doable day-trip, but the driving can be pretty taxing, so it’s best shared amongst companions.
The drive there is some of the most scenic in the Sydney basin surrounds. Depending where you are travelling from, I would recommend driving through the route crossing Richmond. Foremost you’ll drive atop the Hawkesbury Valley Way, a road that has been elevated over the Hawkesbury-Nepean floodplain, driving at height with vistas of meaning hills and green, before transitioning to the maple lined straight adjacent the RAAF Base Richmond. I almost always get an overwhelming feeling of elation and flying when driving these roads.
After passing through the quaint town of Richmond, the road will transition into a twisting ascent into the slopes of the Lower Blue Mountains. You’ll pass through the historic towns of Kurrajong and Bilpin, some of the first to be settled by Europeans. Notorious for their orchards, Bells Line of Road is littered with cute heritage facade cafe’s, many of which still sell their home-style apple pies. Speaking from experience, you won’t be disappointed if you do decide to stop.
Eventually Bells Line of Road turns into Chifley Road, which is carved atop the Great Diving Range with sheer cliff-faces on either side. The views along here are melancholic, with the damage of the 2019 bushfires still very evident across the escarpments. However, there is very much a feeling of hope in the greenness of the new growth shooting up the trunks of the native trees.
The turn-off from Chifley Road sees the road become unpaved. The dirt track here is rutted and potholed, and whilst I have seen all manner of front-wheel drive vehicles brave this road (a Hyundai Getz and a Honda Jazz come to mind), be warned: it is more suited to vehicles with sufficient clearance. Conventional vehicles will readily scrape all sorts of underbody paraphernalia on some of the deeper potholes, and if you get stuck or break something, there’s no reception.
Having said that, the dirt track is a great introduction to off-roading for beginners. Your passengers will have a ball getting thrown around (maybe a little too much) and you’ll have a ball learning how your four-wheel drive reacts to ruts, dirt and loss of traction.
As with all dirt tracks, be aware of both your own and your vehicles limitations. Take it slow, and remember, you are sharing the road with other vehicles and forestry machinery.
The unsealed road take about one hour to navigate. A section of this road includes passage through a single-lane vehicle tunnel. If there are vehicles coming the opposite way, be ready to reverse all the way out. How you decide who reverses is up to you, but usually the law of the jungle prefers the larger vehicle. You will eventually pass by a very small and discreet opening, which is the parking spot for the start of the Dry Canyon, but that’s a post for another time. The road eventually ends in a carpark, where you will even find an eco-toilet. Remember that the tunnels are a very popular civilian attraction, and you will likely be hard-pressed for parking during peak season or school holidays.
The Hike
The first section of the hike can only be described as easy. Seriously, you will see children happily plotting alongside their parents with no help.
The trail starts atop an elevated Ridgeline with Tunnel Creek to the west and a large at the bottom of the steep bank to the east. The trail is metres wide, and includes a few small sections of stairs leading in and out of a creek crossing via a small timber footbridge. After a very short 1km walk, you’ll reach the mouth of the tunnel. Here you can truly appreciate the beauty of ferns and moss growing in the scrub of the open eucalyptus forest.
The tunnel, which is approximately 400 metes in length, was built to service the mining industry. Since abandoned, it’s now home to thousands upon thousands of glow worms.
The tunnel itself is pitch-black inside, so a head torch is mandatory. I would recommend one with a night light (or red light) function, as it’s easier on the eyes. A couple of points to remember also when in the tunnel:
- The tunnel is a very popular spot which you are sharing with others, so please be considerate
- The tunnel floor can be incredibly slippery
- Do not make noise inside the tunnel as the glow worms themselves are sensitive to sound and will “turn off their lights”
- Please limit how much you use your torches, or keep them pointed to the ground. It’s very hard trying to adjust your eyes to see these incredible creatures when someone else’s 1000 lumen Petzl head torch turns night into day.
The glow worms, or fungus gnats, are the larval form of glow worm beetles. They spin strands of sticky silk snares to catch prey with, and their white-blue bioluminescence attracts both prey and people.
There are thousands of these glow worms littered across the the cave; if you keep you eyes closed till they adjust, and open them suddenly, you may just mistake the ceiling for the Milky Way.
Exiting the tunnel to the west, you’ll be treated to more ferns, and maybe even a waterfall. This is where the trail becomes more of a hike and less of a stroll.
Continuing the trail will have you cross Tunnel Creek a handful of times. Remnants of semi-buried rails remind you of the history of mining. You can continue following the trail, keeping the magnificent sandstone cliffs to your right. Eventually, you will reach a breathtaking opening looking towards the pagodas of the north-west and the Wolgan Valley. This rocky platform, is the perfect spot for a picnic. We should have known better, but we decided not to bring any snacks. The trail gets significantly more difficult and steep after this point. It’s a good time to turnaround for those who aren’t feeling particularly fit.
For the rest of us, the trail continues to loop around the pagoda. Long sections of the trail are incredibly steep, and will give your cardio a good work out. The trail eventually rejoins The Pagoda Track, which ends at the carpark for a full circle. Whilst the the first section of this hike is very stop-start and full of photo opportunities, the second half is very much fun to power through for a workout.
The Tunnel, as well as the world-heritage listed Wollemi National Park, will remain one of my favourite places in New South Wales. Given its ease of access, and the novelty of the glow worms, it’s somewhere I imagine I’ll be revisiting for years to come.