Glenrock ghost fungus tours

Paid night tours in Glenrock State Conservation Area will run during April/May 2026. Send me an email and I'll add you to the waiting list.

Thank you to Awesome Newcastle for providing seed funds.
Thank you to NSW National Parks for issuing an Eco Pass.

Check out the facebook page for news on Glenrock Ghost Fungus Tours.

2026 Pricing

$20 Kids (ages 5-15, not suitable for ages 0-4)
$40 Adults (ages 16+)
$30 Concession (including full time high school and university students)

$350 Private tour (by arrangement, 2-10 people)

Tours are roughly 50 minutes.
There is a maximum of 16 people per tour.
Tours involve walking 1.5 to 2 km on uneven but easy trails, in the dark.
Please wear sturdy footwear, warm clothes, and perhaps a waterproof layer.
Pack a torch.
Tours will be announced with only 10-36 hours notice! So please email or send a facebook message if you want to be on the waiting list.
Tour meeting point and payment form will be advised when I call to offer you a spot on a tour.
Additional safety information will be provided when paying and at the start of each tour.

Ghost fungus, May 2025, Glenrock State Conservation Area, Newcastle

The backstory

I'm new to the Newcastle region and I've never lived somewhere so wet.

The plus side of all the rain is an amazing array of spectacular fungi each autumn.

In 2024 I first saw glow-in-the-dark ghost fungus. This was on a night tour at the Hunter Region Botanic Gardens (which is a great volunteer-run organisation).

Ghost fungus appears in the Newcastle region for a few days each April/May after some rain and when the temperature has started to cool.

In 2025, I decided to track some down close to home. In the day time, I searched along the many trails in Glenrock State Conservation Area. Finally I found some! I went back at night with family and friends to see the glow.

Over the next few nights, I continued to take groups of friends along the trail to see the bioluminescent fungus. It was a treat for young and old.

This made me think... would other people be interested in a night stroll through Glenrock to see and learn about Ghost Fungus?

So began an adventure to learn about running a small business. Glenrock Ghost Fungus Tours was born. In February 2026, we received our Eco Pass from NSW National Parks.

Article in HUNTERhunter magazine, March 2026.

Merch being modeled, January 2026.

'No catch': Got a good idea? These people might give you $1000Every month, 10 people bring $100 to a meeting where community members have three minutes each to pitch...

Article on Awesome Newcastle grants in the Newcastle Herald, November 2025.

Multiple fungi, May 2025.

Callaghan campus, University of Newcastle

Mushrooms pop up across the Hunter, posing a risk to pooches'Dogs will eat a lot of weird things so it's not surprising to have a dog eat mushrooms.'

Interviewee for Newcastle Herald article, May 2025

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