Sleep's Hill Tunnel at Panorama to open to the public for Adelaide Fringe

Photographer Stephen Axford’s exhibition about the fungal world will be on display at Sleep’s Hill Tunnel during the Adelaide Fringe. (ABC News: Brant Cumming)

A hidden part of Adelaide’s history is being opened up to the public for the first time, all in the name of art.

Formerly a steam train passage, Sleep’s Hill Tunnel in Adelaide’s southern suburbs has been transformed into a mesmerising light installation as part of an Adelaide Fringe show.

The tunnel in Panorama was part of the old Adelaide-to-Melbourne rail line, with construction starting in 1879.

It was used by steam trains until 1914 before heavier trains used a different rail gauge, forcing the tunnel to be decommissioned.

Dave Munro now owns the dual tunnels and uses one for commercial wine storage.

It sits at a stable 17 degrees Celsius.

“This tunnel’s never been open to the public since it’s been built and I just think it’s a great opportunity,” Mr Munro said.

“A lot of people didn’t know it was here, but a lot of people who have seen it in the last few days have been blown away by just the engineering feat, that South Australia achieved back then.”

The tunnels, believed to be eight layers thick with purpose-built bricks, were used during World War II to store artwork and government documents for safekeeping in the event of a Japanese bombing attack.

“There’s a story getting around that there was a massive painting of King George in storage,” Mr Munro said.

“Apparently one of the sentry guards saw a rat, so there was a bloody big effort to try and get this rat because they were worried about the King George painting getting destroyed.”

After the war, the tunnel was used as a mushroom farm, a venture Mr Munro said eventually cost too much because the mushrooms raised the temperature in the tunnels and therefore required air conditioning.

Sleep’s Hill Tunnel number two will now feature in an Adelaide Fringe show, with audience members to be guided through a 377-metre-long journey of light projections that highlight its transformation from steam train passageway to mushroom farm.

Videographer and photographer Stephen Axford brings the tunnel’s fungal history to life, featuring a kaleidoscope of colourful forest species.

Through his lens, the birth, decay and intricate network of fungi are transformed into visual poetry.

Also on show in the tunnel is the installation The World Beneath Our Feet, which transports audiences into the world of life in the soil underground, a show that was a hit at The Barbican in London last year.

“The Sleep’s Hill Tunnel show fuses history, art and technology in the most stunning way, a memorable immersive experience for everyone,” Adelaide Fringe Director Heather Croall said.

“We love seeing so many hidden, unique stories in our local neighbourhoods come to life for Fringe and Sleep’s Hill Tunnel is going to be one people will not want to miss.”

Like any good part of history, the tunnels come with rumours of a dark past.

“That there’s ghosts in there, there’s all sorts of things went on in there, illegal casinos, I’ve heard all sorts of stories,” Mr Munro said.

Sleep’s Hill Tunnel will be open for the next month.