Do I need experience riding an e-bike to join the night ride?

No prior e-bike experience is required. This is a relaxed, slow-paced guided experience designed for atmosphere rather than speed, and is suitable for first-time e-bike riders. Your Valley Trail Wrangler guide will provide a full briefing before departure. All bikes include high-powered lights.

What is included in the Glow Worms to the Milky Way experience?

Included in the price: premium fat-tyre e-bike hire, helmet, high-powered bike lights, guided ride with local storytelling, a farm animal feeding stop (goats, Highland cows, alpacas and more), hot chocolate, and a locally made cookie or muffin at the stargazing stop.

E-Bike Rental for Glow Worm Tunnel Tours

The experience

The ride begins at golden hour — as the Tweed Valley turns copper and the hinterland hills go soft with the last of the light. You'll cruise into sunset on premium fat-tyre e-bikes before darkness slowly takes over the trail.

As daylight fades, the Northern Rivers Rail Trail transforms into a completely different world. Cool rainforest air. Quiet. The trail ahead lit only by your bike lights and whatever's overhead. What comes next is something most people never get to see.

What you'll experience

Fairy floss sunset

Cruise into golden hour as the Tweed Valley turns pink, orange and copper above the hinterland hills.

The glow worm tunnel

The Burringbar Range Tunnel — alive with thousands of bioluminescent larvae across the stone walls and ceiling.

Milky Way stargazing

Valley skies with minimal light pollution. The galactic core, the Southern Cross and total silence.

Farm animal stop

Hand-feed goats, Highland cows, alpacas and more on a working farm along the trail — a genuine surprise highlight.

Hot chocolate stop

Warm up under the stars with a locally made cookie or muffin and absolutely nowhere else to be.

The ride

The highlight is the Burringbar Range Tunnel, where thousands of glow worms appear like tiny blue stars scattered across the tunnel walls. It's one of the most quietly spectacular natural displays in northern NSW — and because it only comes to life in darkness, almost nobody knows it exists.

Beyond the tunnel, the ride slows down for a stargazing stop beneath the open valley sky. The Tweed hinterland sits far enough from Gold Coast and Byron Bay light pollution that on clear nights the Milky Way stretches overhead in full. Your guide will point out the Southern Cross, nearby planets, and whatever else is visible — no telescope required.

This is not a fast-paced tour. It's slow and immersive, built around atmosphere and the feeling of being completely removed from everyday life. Your Valley Trail Wrangler guides the way with powerful bike lighting, deep local knowledge and stories about the rail trail's history, its wildlife and the things that happen here after the day trippers head home.

Fairy floss sunsets. Glow worms in the darkness. Hot chocolate under the Milky Way. A ride that feels more like a dream than a tour.

Your evening, step by step

Departure — 6:30 pm summer / 4:30 pm winter

Meet your Trail Wrangler

Arrive at 8 Railway Street, South Murwillumbah. Meet your local guide — someone who knows this stretch of rail trail after dark better than anyone. They'll run you through a 10-minute e-bike induction covering bike operation, rider safety, path etiquette and wildlife rules before a single pedal turns.

Approx. 15 minutes in

Ride into golden hour

The valley is at its most beautiful in the last hour of light. Fat-tyre e-bikes make easy work of the flat rail trail as you cruise through farmland and rainforest, the Tweed hinterland hills turning pink and copper overhead. The e-bikes do the work — you just take it in.

Approx. 20 minutes in — farm stop

Feed the animals

The trail passes through working farmland and we stop for around 20 minutes to meet the residents — goats, Highland cows, alpacas and more. It's hands-on, it's chaotic in the best way, and it's one of those moments that catches people completely off guard. Kids love it. Adults love it more than they expect to.

Approx. 45 minutes in

The Burringbar Range Tunnel

You'll feel the tunnel before you see it — a cool drop in air temperature as the rainforest closes around the trail. Dismount and walk into the 500-metre tunnel as total darkness surrounds you. Then your eyes adjust. Thousands of Arachnocampa flava glow worms cover the stone ceiling above, turning the tunnel into a living, breathing star field. Your guide explains the biology — the lifecycle, the silk threads, the blue-green bioluminescence — but mostly you'll just stand in silence and stare.

Along the way

Nocturnal wildlife encounters

The trail after dark belongs to a completely different cast. Microbats emerge from the tunnel entrance, hunting insects in tight spirals. Brushtail possums move through the canopy. Sugar gliders occasionally catch the light between trees. Tawny Frogmouth owls watch from low branches, unimpressed. Your guide knows where to look and what you're seeing.

The stargazing stop

Hot chocolate under the Milky Way

The ride slows for a dedicated stop beneath open valley sky. Away from Gold Coast and Byron Bay light pollution, the Milky Way stretches overhead in full. Your guide points out the Southern Cross, nearby planets and the galactic core while you warm up with a hot chocolate and a locally made cookie or muffin. There's nowhere else to be.

Approx. 3.5 hours total

The ride home

A relaxed return along the trail to South Murwillumbah. The valley is quiet, the air is cool and you'll have stories worth telling.

You might encounter

Microbats

Emerge from the tunnel at dusk, hunting insects in fast spirals overhead

Brushtail possum

Regularly spotted moving through the rainforest canopy after dark

Sugar glider

Catch the light between trees on the darker stretches of the trail

Tawny Frogmouth

Watch from low branches — masters of stillness and deeply unimpressed

Need a lift to the trailhead? Our private shuttle service can pick your group up from your accommodation and transfer you to and from the tour. Enquire about transport options and costs →

On the trail

Thousands of glow worms lighting the Burringbar Range Tunnel on the Northern Rivers Rail Trail at night

Glow worm tunnel interior
Alt: "Thousands of glow worms lighting the Burringbar Range Tunnel"

Cyclists riding into sunset on the Northern Rivers Rail Trail near Murwillumbah

Sunset ride on the trail
Alt: "Riders cruising into golden hour, Tweed Valley"

Group of riders looking up at the Milky Way from the Northern Rivers Rail Trail at night

Stargazing stop — Milky Way
Alt: "Group stargazing under the Milky Way, Tweed hinterland"

Riders enjoying hot chocolate under the stars on the Valley E-Bikes night ride

Hot chocolate stargazing stop
Alt: "Riders with hot chocolate under the stars"

Premium fat-tyre e-bike lit up on the Northern Rivers Rail Trail after dark

Fat-tyre e-bike on trail at night
Alt: "Premium e-bike lit up on the Northern Rivers Rail Trail"

Pricing

Adults 13 years and over

$125 pp

Children 8 – 12 years

$75 pp

Little ones Under 8 years

Free

Minimum booking: 4 adults. This is a private group experience — your group rides together, exclusively.

Departure times

Summer

6:30 pm

Oct – Mar · longer daylight

Winter

4:30 pm

Apr – Sep · earlier sunset

What's included

Premium fat-tyre e-bike hire
Farm animal feeding stop
Helmet and high-powered bike lights
Guided ride with local storytelling
Hot chocolate
Locally made cookie or muffin
Stargazing stop beneath the valley sky

Perfect for

Couples First-time riders Nature lovers Photographers Families with older kids Anyone wanting to slow down

Frequently asked questions

What is the Glow Worms to the Milky Way experience?

Glow Worms to the Milky Way is a guided 3.5-hour sunset and night e-bike ride on the Northern Rivers Rail Trail, departing from Valley E-Bikes in South Murwillumbah. The experience includes riding into golden hour on premium fat-tyre e-bikes, a 20-minute farm animal feeding stop (goats, Highland cows, alpacas and more), exploring the Burringbar Range glow worm tunnel after dark, a dedicated stargazing stop under the Milky Way, and hot chocolate with a locally made baked treat.

Where are the glow worms on the Northern Rivers Rail Trail?

The glow worms are found inside the Burringbar Range Tunnel on the Northern Rivers Rail Trail between Murwillumbah and Mooball. Thousands of bioluminescent larvae cling to the tunnel walls and ceiling, creating a natural light display only visible in darkness. The Valley E-Bikes night ride passes directly through the tunnel.

What time does the night ride depart?

Departure times change seasonally to align with sunset. In summer (October to March) the ride departs at 6:30 pm. In winter (April to September) the ride departs at 4:30 pm. All rides depart from 8 Railway Street, South Murwillumbah.

How much does the night ride cost?

Adults (13 years and over) are $125 per person. Children aged 8–12 years are $75 per person. Children under 8 years ride free. A minimum booking of 4 adults is required. This is a private group experience — your group has the ride to yourselves.

Do I need e-bike experience for the night ride?

No. This is a relaxed, slow-paced guided experience designed for atmosphere rather than speed. It is suitable for first-time e-bike riders. Your Valley Trail Wrangler will provide a full briefing before departure. All bikes include high-powered lights, and the Northern Rivers Rail Trail is flat and sealed.

Can you see the Milky Way from the Tweed Valley?

Yes. The Tweed Valley hinterland has significantly less light pollution than the Gold Coast and Byron Bay coastline. On clear nights, the Milky Way, Southern Cross and individual planets are visible with the naked eye from open sections of the rail trail. Valley E-Bikes includes a dedicated stargazing stop in the Glow Worms to the Milky Way experience.

Is the night ride suitable for families with children?

Yes. Children aged 8 and over are welcome. Children 8–12 years are $75 per person. Under 8s ride free. The pace is relaxed and the terrain is flat, following a converted railway corridor. All children must wear a helmet, which is provided by Valley E-Bikes.

How do I book the Glow Worms to the Milky Way experience?

This is a private group experience with a minimum of 4 adults. Enquire via the booking form on this page or contact Valley E-Bikes directly at 8 Railway Street, South Murwillumbah to check available dates.

Search our shop

Glow Worms
to the Milky Way