Glowworm Tunnel Road - a hideout for glowing creatures (6 photos + 1 video)

Once a train tunnel, it is now home to thousands of glowing creatures.





Sometimes abandoned man-made structures become eerie landmarks, slowly deteriorating before being returned to nature or torn down.



But sometimes they find new life, like a crab that uses a can as a lost shell. That's what happened to this railway tunnel.





The Newnes Railway in Australia ceased operations in 1932 after 25 years of hauling slate. A 600m tunnel cut through sandstone in Wollemi National Park has had its rails pulled out and has been left to its own devices. It's a new beginning for the tunnel, where thousands of glowworms have made their home.



Glowworm is a common name for bioluminescent larvae that come in a variety of species. In this case, it's Arachnocampa richardsae, a type of fungus gnat.



Its larvae are found in huge numbers in caves. They attach themselves to the rocky walls of an abandoned tunnel and catch prey using long glowing threads with sticky mucus.



To see the glowing midges, you need to come to the tunnel during the day, get to the middle - the bend, where the space is shrouded in semi-darkness, and turn off the flashlight. After a couple of minutes, one after another, the midges begin to glow, reminiscent of stars appearing in the night sky with the birth of the night.