Dularcha Rail Tunnel – Landsborough, Australia - Atlas Obscura

Dularcha Rail Tunnel

Landsborough, Australia

This abandoned railroad tunnel is now home to a micro-colony of bats and a ghost train. 

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Hidden deep within Australia’s Dularcha National Park is an eerie concrete tunnel that once allowed trains to pass through the hills but now simply exists to creep out hikers and house a little community of bats. 

Built in 1891, the tall cement arch of the Dularcha park tunnel was installed so that trains could be routed through the scenic woods. For decades, spectators would ride the rails amongst the heavily forested hills using the tunnel to pass right through the otherwise impassable setting. However, in 1932 the tracks were rerouted to the East and the tunnel no longer had a purpose. The tracks were stripped from the expanse and it was all but abandoned as a strange landmark from a rail-centric heyday. 

However, the tunnel was not completely forgotten. A hiking path was forged that led to and through the tunnel allowing visitors to explore the concrete passage and begin creating local legends. Stories of ghostly trains rushing through the empty tunnel began to crop up and attracted daring hikers. 

In reality, the tunnel is only home to a small colony of bats which can be seen nesting in the crevices of the rounded cement tunnel. They are there to be seen by anyone willing to seek the tunnel out. 

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