Helensburgh NSW 2508
Helensburgh Tunnel 1st (Tunnel No. 3)
Last updated 6 August 2026
Site note — August 2026
Tunnel No. 3 lies within Helensburgh Station Reserve, managed by Helensburgh Landcare. The reserve’s protective fence/gate period (2018 onward) has ended for the main site (see Metropolitan Tunnel); treat both tunnels as fragile heritage — dark, uneven underfoot, respect neighbours and on-site signs.
See also: Helensburgh Station Reserve · Metropolitan Tunnel (Glow Worm Tunnel)
At a glance
- Tunnel No. 3 on the original Illawarra line
- Length: 80 metres — elliptical cross-section with a distinct curve
- Location: Northern end of the original Helensburgh railway station
- Opened: 3 October 1888
- Closed to rail traffic: 30 May 1915
- Reserve: Helensburgh Station Reserve (Crown land)
The 1st Helensburgh Tunnel is the shorter companion to the famous Metropolitan Tunnel (No. 4). Like the other disused tunnels in the area, it operated for only 27 years before the Helensburgh deviation opened and the original single line was abandoned.
Ian's story — first discovery
"What a peculiar place to put a tunnel" — I thought when first discovering this tunnel.
That was in the early–mid 1980s, and I genuinely did not want to go anywhere near it; it looked scary. Curiosity got the better of me.
The southern approach had a packing shed in the cutting, boarded up with corroded corrugated iron. My friend said they used to grow mushrooms there — familiar to me, as my uncle worked the Otford Tunnel mushroom farm. This place looked abandoned and neglected, almost ghost-town-ish.
Around 1987, we walked up to the southern entrance through waist-high grass. We pulled back a rusted sheet of iron and peered in at partly decomposed foam boxes scattered across the floor. That was enough for me.
After closure — mushrooms and restoration
After rail closure, the tunnel was used for mushroom cultivation like several other local tunnels. Electrical wiring and even a suspended light remained inside for many years. The packing shed on the southern approach was eventually removed.
In June 2011, volunteers cleaned the tunnel — rubbish and graffiti removed, and anti-graffiti paint applied to the walls. Gates were locked afterward. The tunnel celebrated its 125th anniversary on 3 October 2013.
Unfortunately, graffiti vandalism in later years destroyed the glow worm colony that had lived in this shorter tunnel. Conservation efforts now focus on the larger Metropolitan Tunnel colony. Read more on the Station Reserve page.
Current condition
Both portal facades remain in reasonable condition, though some brickwork around the lower arch edges is missing — likely from barriers installed during the mushroom-farming years. Corrugated-iron enclosures at both ends were replaced with steel post fencing as part of reserve management.
From the current Helensburgh railway station, the bush around the northern portal can thin out after fire or drought, and the portal is sometimes visible from passing trains heading toward Sydney.
Why the line was deviated
The original Illawarra line's steep grades and long tunnels caused serious problems for steam trains — heat build-up for crews, and passenger discomfort from smoke and steam in tunnels such as the Otford Tunnel. The Helensburgh deviation (completed 1915) relieved congestion and removed trains from this alignment.
Related pages
Location
The tunnel is within Helensburgh Station Reserve, near the intersection of Vera Street and Tunnel Road, Helensburgh NSW 2508.