A photo of Helensburgh's glowworm tunnel has taken pride of place as the People’s Choice winner of the 2024 Australian Geographic Nature Photographer of the Year exhibition at the South Australian Museum in Adelaide.

The stunning shot – titled 'Glow Worms in an Abandoned Train Tunnel' – was taken by a Sydney-based photographer, David Muggleton, who is originally from Adelaide and overjoyed to find his work exhibited in his home town.

The award-winning pic was the result of preparation and perfect timing. A professional photographer who works in sports media, David was covering a baseball competition in Sydney when rain delayed play. So he dashed to Helensburgh, anticipating a cascading waterfall over the tunnel. Arriving at sunset, he captured glowworms, reflective puddles and vibrant flora in a fleeting five-minute window when the light was just right.

“I knew on that day, this is going to be perfect conditions for the glowworm and, I just lucked out that I was in Sydney,” David said.

“That came off of having been there before, knowing what it was that I was going there to capture and having that kind of mission ready to go.”

David's career in sports media takes him between Adelaide, Melbourne, Canberra, and Sydney, giving him a chance to capture Australia’s wilderness, including the Blue Mountains and Kosciuszko National Park.

“I utilise the travel to go explore and basically chase a lot of these beautiful photo locations,” David said.

David grew up during a drought in Adelaide, which fuelled his fascination with wet and wild wonders, such as Helensburgh's glowworms and Jervis Bay’s bioluminescent waters. 

“There is just something otherworldly and magical about it,” he said.

“Words can scarcely really describe just the genuine human experience of connecting with that kind of natural beauty.”

Next, David wants to photograph the firefly season in the Blue Mountains, chase Tasmania's Aurora Australis and capture Jervis Bay's elusive sea sparkles. 

“The biggest goal that I'm trying to achieve is to find a way to be able to share these experiences and these locations with people that can't necessarily get there themselves or expose people to locations.”

If this story inspires you to visit the Helensburgh glowworms, please be mindful of their environment: keep light to a minimum, use red or dim lighting if needed, keep noise to a minimum, and respect nearby residents of the area. Glowworms rely on darkness to thrive, so avoid unnecessary disturbances to preserve their delicate habitat.