Bundanoon’s Glow Worm Glen is a magical place. After dark, the unassuming rock walls are lit with what looks like hundreds of sparkling Christmas lights. We were lucky enough to visit on a crystal clear night and where the glow worms ended the stars began. A truly jaw-dropping sight.
The walk to the glen is well maintained and the viewing platform even has a bench seat where you can sit, relax and enjoy the otherworldly spectacle.
If you are worried about walking in the dark, we have photographed and described the walking track in full to help you feel more comfortable on the trail.
Here’s everything you need to know about visiting Glow Worm Glen.
The Glow Worm Glen Walk
The stats
Distance: 1.7km return
Elevation gain: 90m
Difficulty: Easy, but not flat
The trail
The trail to Glow Worm Glen is all well maintained, but for the most part you’re heading downhill on the way! This means you have a reasonable climb back up to your car, but it’s worth it, and the reality is that whilst it might be predominantly uphill on the way back, it still takes less than 15 minutes.
The trail begins at the end of William Street and there are no stopping signs at the trailhead, so you need to park about a minute further back up the road. At the end of the road, you’ll see the signpost for Glow Worm Glen and follow it into the bush.
The first 150m are all on well maintained steps and then the track will briefly flatten before it heads downhill again, but this time on a gentle dirt path.
At the 300m mark you’ll reach a gravel path and there is a short section of long grass which is trying to reclaim the track, so don’t be alarmed if you suddenly feel something brushing against you in the dark : )
The track continues gently downhill before arriving at a small metal bridge at the 500m mark. There’s a signposted junction 50m later and you continue straight.
Funnily enough there are actually two signs here, with three distances marked on them and none are correct!
The next 150m are flat before the descent continues again. There’s a little more dirt track before you reach the first metal staircase. The stairs are in excellent condition and there are handrails if needed.
You’ll then have a short gap before reaching the final staircase down to the viewing platform. This one is a bit longer, but again, it’s even grippy steps with handrails.
You will then reach the viewing platform, 860m from the start of the trail. There’s a bench seat here and lots of room to spread out if there’s other people here.
The glow worm viewing experience
There are many hundreds of glow worms at the dell, along the back wall, as well as the wall on the left, directly beside the viewing platform.
Staying a while and allowing your eyes to adjust will show you they are also in the forest and in the cracks and crevices all the way down the wall beside the metal staircase leading to the viewing platform.
If the creek is flowing you will also see them reflecting in the water.
It’s like staring at dozens of strings of fairy lights and the effect is simply magical. Just make sure you turn off your torch and watch in complete darkness.
On that note, Glow Worm Glen is quite open, so make sure you don’t come down too early when it’s not yet fully dark or you won’t be able to see the majority of glow worms.
If you’re lucky enough to pick a clear night the stars in this area are spectacular, we could see the full Milky Way, which combined with the glow worms is an unforgettable sight.
The experience at the Bundanoon Glow Worm Glen is quite different to most dells around Australia due to the viewing platform.
Though that does give it a slightly less wild feel, it makes it a very relaxing experience. There’s even a bench seat so you can sit in comfort while taking in the spectacle.
It made a nice change to the damp rocks I normally sit on at other glow worm dells! The viewing platform is also railed, so you don’t have to worry if you have young children with you.
Do no harm: taking care of the glow worms
Glow worms are sensitive so to protect this special colony there are a few things to know before you visit.
We know that 99% of people would never dream of causing damage to the glow worms, so if you haven’t spent any time at a glow worm colony before, please read the next few lines on etiquette so you don’t inadvertently harm them.
Please don’t shine light on the glow worms, they don’t like it and will turn their lights out.
You’ll see much fewer glow worms if you keep a light on. Bringing a torch with red light is even better, although still don’t shine it on the glow worms directly. Keep noise to a minimum and if you’re keen on getting a photo, bring a tripod which will allow you to capture the glow worms without shining a light on them. You can read more about glow worm photography in this post.
The best time to visit Glow Worm Glen
You can see glow worms year round, but numbers are at their highest during hot wet periods, so summer is generally the best time to visit, but I wouldn’t let it stop you visiting at other times of the year.
Glow Worm Glen is a popular spot on weekends, so you may share it with others on Friday and Saturday evenings. Most people tend to go down as soon as it gets dark so going a bit later in the evening will usually mean it’s quieter.
It’s best to visit at least an hour after sunset when it’s properly dark to get the most out of your viewing experience. And give your eyes at least five minutes to adjust to the darkness, the longer you are there in the dark, the more glow worms you will see.
Many people come for just a few minutes, but you will miss out on the majority of glow worms this way as what you can see on first glance is not a true representation of how many are really there!
Getting to Glow Worm Glen
The Glow Worm Glen Trail begins at William Street in Bunadnoon. The first thing to note is that if you enter “Glow Worm Glen Bundanoon” into Google Maps, it will take you to the longer trail that runs from the national park.
The best route starts from the end of William Street - you can find the exact spot on Google Maps here. As we mentioned above, the track isn’t actually on Google Maps, but you can’t get lost once you find the start of the trail.
William Street is a residential area, so please park respectfully and note that you need to park just up from the trailhead to avoid the no stopping area.
It’s located just outside Bundanoon town centre, 30km and a 35 minute drive from Bowral, 50km and 50 minutes from Kangaroo Valley and 150km and 1 hour 50 minutes from Sydney CBD.
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