The Glow Worm Tunnel: Bell to Newnes

Distance: 106km
Days: 2
Difficulty: 6/10
Total ascent: 1356m

Oct 2024 update: This route originally started at Lithgow and went along the Wolgan Valley Rd, however the main road into Newnes is closed. The Glowworm Tunnel and Newnes Campground have reopened, and you can also ride on the Coach Road. You can also start at Lithgow and ride up State Mine Gully Rd to join this route.

Once a thriving shale-mining town, Newnes is now a ghost town - abandoned save for a few residences, and the famous Newnes Hotel (a pub with no beer). Make sure you bring lights for the Glow Worm Tunnel - it's pitch black! This ride is best enjoyed in a group, as it makes the hike-a-bike after the tunnel much easier.

Route notes

MDay 1

Starting at Bell train station, you'll ride alongside the train line, almost immediately hitting the dirt roads. You pass through the spooky infrastructure of the Clarence Colliery, then after some quite chunky fire trails, you'll join the Old Bells Line of Road. After some very smooth dirt, you'll pass a massive sand mining operation, and then soon after join the Glow Worm Tunnel Road. Soon enough the native forest gives way to pine plantations, that are now returning to national park. Chug along this for a while (there are a few areas of rumbly corrugations) and you'll find yourself back in native bush, and then you divert down the Glow Worm Tunnel Road (there used to be a train running along this path, and you pass through several cuttings and short tunnels). Stop along the way and carefuly climb some 'pagodas' (as the fragile rock formations are called) - the views from the tops are spectacular.

After a very pleasant downhill (including a pitch black tunnel - have your lights ready!) you'll find yourself at a carpark - from here you'll need to walk your bike along the walking track. There is an awkward section where you'll need to carry your bike through a very narrow set of stairs - you may need to remove your bags, and having someone else to help you is extremely useful!

Soon after you'll find yourself in the Glow Worm Tunnel, which at 400m gets extremely dark in the middle. You'll need good lights to pick your way along the uneven eroded ground, but make sure you stop and turn them off in the middle to soak up the pale blue pinpricks of the glow worms themselves.

Emerging back into the sunlight, there are a few more sections of awkward bike-carrying before you pop out spectacularly halfway up a cliff, looking out over the Wolgan Valley. There's more bike-lifting over washed out gullys (although these have mostly been filled in as of 2024), interspersed with some flat (but often quite narrow) dirt track. If you do ride these sections, take it extremely slow, watch out for the cliff edges, and be aware that you're sharing it with walkers.

The track gradually drops down to meet the Wolgan River, and crossing at the ford, you'll find yourself at the Newnes campground. Backtrack along the Wolgan Road and you'll find the Newnes Hotel, where you can buy snacks, drinks and ice creams.

Day 2

Head back out of Newnes along the main road. Turn back onto the Old Coach Ride fire trail that you came in on. As an aside, if you continue along the Wolgan Valley Rd, you'll pass Donkey Mountain - if you have an extra day and you're feeling adventurous, we'd recommend ditching the bikes at the base and hiking up to enjoy a night amongst the caves and canyons - the navigation can be tricky though!

It's a pretty brutal climb up on the fire trail, and you'll be pushing your bike up in at least one section (and probably more). However it is very pretty! At the top you'll continue through the beautiful pagoda country, and then back into the bush. After a while you'll rejoin the Glow Worm Tunnel Rd that you came in on the previous day, and you just follow the same way back to Bell train station.

Map & GPS

Important details

• Water and food sources: You are riding on the ridge for most of the day, so there is no water available between Bell and Newnes. Take as much as you will drink in one day - we'd recommend at least 3 litres. You can fill up from the Wolgan River, but you must treat this water.
  
  Snacks, ice-creams, drinks, and some tinned food can be purchased from the Newnes Hotel.
• Weather and when to ride: This ride is best done in the shoulder seasons. Summer can be extremely hot and dry, with the risk of bushfires, and in winter it can get below freezing.
  
  Make sure you don't overlap with the Glow Worm Tunnel Marathon weekend.
• What to ride: Not for road bikes - we'd recommend 50mm or larger tyres. The roughest bits are unrideable so you'll be pushing anyway, the road can get quite sandy and corrugated, so bigger tyres will definitely be more comfortable). 

Other resources

MGlow Worm Tunnel (NSW National Parks)

Newnes Hotel