[1] It is considered crown land and managed by community group Helensburgh Landcare, who in early 2019, restricted access to the tunnel for the conservation of the glow worm colony.

The Helensburgh Glow Worm tunnel was opened on 1 January 1889 and formed part of the town's first railway station.

[5]The tunnels and station were closed in 1915 when the train line was duplicated and moved to combine and simplify the Sutherland to Wollongong journey; a necessity due to the increased coal mining operations from Helensburgh and down the South Coast.

[5] In April 1995, Metropolitan Colliery chose to clear years of debris and overgrowth at the northern entrance of the tunnel.

Helensburgh Landcare sought to excavate the site and was granted permission by the colliery to dig down to the original train track level.

[5] In 2001, Helensburgh Landcare was awarded a Centenary of Federation grant allowing them to transform the site into a historical attraction.

Landcare also restored what was left of the original ‘Helensburgh Station’ sign, found in a gully close to the area.

It is unknown in which of the seven tunnels on the line the accident occurred, as multiple news sources were inconsistent when reporting the location of his demise.

On 15 June 1895, the local Illawarra Mercury reported on the trial:[9] The jury returned the following verdict – ‘That deceased came to his death by injuries accidentally received on the 13th of May through being run over by a passing train – No.67 – in No.

In June 2018 a fence was constructed at the base of the entrance to the old station by Don Campbell and Norm Purdy after "The [NSW Department of Industry] received reports of damage to heritage items on the platform, and there are concerns about the impact of light, noise, and pollution on the glow worms in the tunnel,".

The group blocked the entrance to the tunnel for four weeks in January 2019 during the breeding season in an effort to allow the glow worm population to recover from years of poor treatment.

[5] When the gate is locked, trespassers who enter the tunnel may be liable for prosecution under the Inclosed Lands Protection Act (NSW) 1901.