Access points

• Lithgow
• Clarence Railway Station
• Newnes
• Glow Worm Car Park

The easiest access on graded gravel roads is via Lithgow on State Mine Gully Road until it becomes the Glow Worm Tunnel Road at the junction with the Old Bells Line of Road.

The other way to access the trail is via Clarence Railway Station, using the Old Bells Line of Road till you reach the Glow Worm Tunnel Road.

The Glow Worm Tunnel Road then follows the alignment of the former railway, with lovely curves and cuttings along the way as you pass through the State Forest. There are two tunnels along the alignment – one on the road to drive through, and the other, the longer Glow Worm tunnel on the walking track proper.
While it is possible to cycle this section, the road carries quite an amount of traffic, and once at the trail head carpark it is not possible to ride through the second tunnel.

Once at the trailhead there are two options, either a walk through the tunnel for as far as you want to go along the rail trail and return the same way, or walk along a circular track from the trailhead and the short Pagoda Track to the Old Coach Road, and then via the rail trail back to the start. The return walk through the Glow Worm Tunnel to the Wolgan Valley Lookout is around 6km, and the circular walk 9km.

There is currently no road access to the Wolgan Valley, so the rail trail is the only way to get there. You can extend the walk along the final 8km of the trail and stay at the Newnes Hotel Cabins and return the same way the following day or so.

Newnes

There is a large camping area surrounded by spectacular rock walls and some cabins at Newnes.  However the road to the Wolgan Valley has had a large landslip and it currently impossible to access the valley this way. There are many hotels in Lithgow or in the western Blue Mountains towns and surrounds.

It is worth continuing a short distance past Newnes town site to the ruins of the shale oil mining operation. The trail ends at the base of these ruins: interpretive signs have been set up to give visitors an appreciation of what was once an enormous enterprise in a very remote location.

The former railway is now part of Wollemi National Park managed by the NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service.  Refer to the NWPS at the link below for more information

Clarence Station to Glow Worm Tunnel Rd (9 km)

From the Clarence Station site on Chifley Rd, Clarence, the unsealed Old Bells Line of Road travels to the right (northeast) around the station buildings.

Clarence Station is also the Zig-Zag Railway’s top station. Several buildings and some rolling stock can be viewed at the site. It is around 9 km from Clarence Station to the junction with State Mine Gully Rd/ Glow Worm Tunnel Road. Turn right at the junction to go to the Glow Worm Tunnel; the left turn goes to Lithgow as per the description below.

Lithgow to Glow Worm Tunnel Rd (6 km)

If riding or driving from Lithgow railway station, head out from the north side of the station, turn right and travel through Lithgow’s suburbs on Atkinson St and State Mine Gully Rd to the interesting State Mine Heritage Park and Railway. Continue north on State Mine Gully Rd. The road will become gravel and after a short but very steep climb intersects Old Bells Line of Road and becomes Glow Worm Tunnel Rd. As at July 2020 this steep section of road was in poor condition and best accessed by 4WD, especially heading north to the tunnels in wet weather.

Glow Worm Tunnel Rd to Glow Worm Tunnel Car Park (27 km)

The intersection of State Mine Rd and Old Bells Line of Road is on a plateau at the top of the hill. From there it is 27km and 40 minutes on gravel road to the Glow Worm Tunnel Car Park. Continue north on the main gravel road through State forest for about 8 km to a crossroads and Bungleboori Picnic Area. Continue straight through the crossroads; the main gravel road continues north-northeast.

At around 15km past the crossroads and Bungleboori Picnic Area, is Deane’s Siding, where there are some rusty pieces of old railway engines. Much of Glow Worm Tunnel Rd is on or close to the old railway alignment, but it is here where the rail trail proper begins. The road is still a gravel road but it is now obvious that it is running along the former railway.  Deane’s Siding also marks the beginning of a long downhill section – bliss on a bike!

After around 8km you will reach Newnes No 1 Tunnel: beware of motor vehicles. Just past the tunnel the trail curves around and descends dramatically; the scenery here is spectacular. Continue downward to a car park for the Glow Worm Tunnel.

Glow Worm Tunnel Car Park to (and through) Glow Worm Tunnel (1.3 km)

From here all car access is banned and the National Parks and Wildlife Service does not allow bicycles. The trail is narrow and climbs around bridge washouts in places. This short section is the most popular part of the trail and there are dozens of people here on weekends. The NPWS have put a lot of work into this trail with many interpretive signs, toilet etc

The Glow Worm Tunnel is just over a kilometre from the carpark. Not surprisingly, it is very dark and you may need a torch. The tunnel floor has recently been renovated with a smooth gravel surface, and drainage has been improved,  DO NOT shine torches at the glow worms or touch them! When you are in the middle of the tunnel, turn off your torch and take in the great show from the glow worms.

At the other end of the tunnel is a moist, Jurassic Park world of ferns, palm trees and deep gullies. Remains of a railway bridge over a stream are visible. Continue through the deep cutting (much of the way is thick with vegetation and water) for about 250 m to the other side of the escarpment and magnificent views of Wolgan Valley. Most people return to the carpark via the same route from here, or from the end of the Tunnel, a round trip around 3km.

Glow Worm Tunnel to Newnes (11 km)

The rail trail continues along the edge of the escarpment; to your right is sheer rock face; to your left, continuing views of the valley. The odd sleeper is still visible but much of the railway heritage is gone. This is probably the best section to cycle; however, a number of bridges have been washed out (a problem experienced by the rail line during operation), necessitating some steep climbs around washouts. Bushfires in 2019 and 2020 burnt out many of the steps in the washouts and recent storms have caused tree falls and rock slides, so this section is likely to be slow and best on foot rather than ridden.

Eventually the rail trail comes to a crossroads with tracks to the left and right. Continue straight ahead to follow the Rail Trail to Newnes. The steep (downward) track to the left ends at Wolgan River (crossing is easy via a weir) and then reaches the main (good-quality dirt) road to Newnes. Turn right on this main road to go to Newnes (an easy 5 km on flat terrain), turn left to return (at one stage via a very steep hill) to Lithgow (about 40 km, partly dirt but bitumen from the start of the steep hill onward). The track to the right is the Old Coach Road, which returns to the trail between the Glow Worm Tunnel and the carpark and makes for a 7.5 km, four-hour loop walk.