Gosford Total Solar Eclipse 2028

Gosford, on the Central Coast, gets 3 minutes 17 seconds of totality at 2:01 p.m. AEST, an hour and a half by train north of Sydney and 90 km south of Newcastle, which misses out.

By Mark Mayo, who has stood in the Moon's shadow at three total solar eclipses. Published 3 November 2026. Updated 3 November 2026.

Gosford on 22 July 2028

Totality in central Gosford lasts 3 minutes, 17 seconds, at about 2:01 p.m. AEST on 22 July 2028. The partial eclipse runs from 12:40 p.m. AEST to 3:14 p.m. AEST. Totality varies by less than five seconds across the 3 Gosford sites measured below, so choose on sightline and access.

Gosford's key decision: the waterfront or a train south?

Gosford is the nearest totality town to Newcastle and the Hunter, with trains in both directions. Watch from the waterfront, or move south toward Sydney if the coast clouds over.

The waterfront gets 3m 19s; Rumbalara's lookouts 3m 14s.
Newcastle, 90 km north, is outside the path.
Peats Ridge averages 10 clear and 6.9 cloudy July days.

Eclipse times in Gosford

First contact: 12:40 p.m. AEST
Maximum: 2:01 p.m. AEST
End: 3:14 p.m. AEST
Totality: 3 minutes, 17 seconds
Magnitude: 1.012

In UTC on 22 July 2028: first contact 02:40, maximum 04:01, eclipse ends 05:14. Add to calendar (.ics)

At maximum eclipse, the Sun stands about 29 degrees above the north-northwest horizon as seen from Gosford.

Gosford in the path of totality

Gosford sits about 46 km inside the northern edge of the path, which runs between the Central Coast and Newcastle. Totality grows to the south: the waterfront gets 3 minutes 19 seconds, Kibble Park 3 minutes 18, and Rumbalara Reserve, on the ridge east of the centre, 3 minutes 14. Woy Woy, 10 km south, gets about 3 minutes 26 seconds, and Sydney about 3 minutes 48.

What you will see in the dark sky

During totality the sky over Gosford darkens to deep twilight. Look for Mercury, 26 degrees up in the northwest, only 4 degrees from the eclipsed Sun; Jupiter, 47 degrees up in the northeast. From Gosford the brightest stars likely to show are Sirius (west), Canopus (southwest), Alpha Centauri (southeast), Arcturus (east-northeast). From Gosford, Venus is on the west-northwest horizon, too low to count on.

Planets and bright stars above Gosford at maximum eclipse
Object	Height	Direction	Magnitude
Mercury	26°	northwest	-1.9
Jupiter	47°	northeast	-1.8
Sirius	42°	west	-1.5
Canopus	46°	southwest	-0.7
Alpha Centauri	39°	southeast	-0.3
Arcturus	11°	east-northeast	-0.1

Positions for Gosford at 04:01:32 UTC, from JPL's DE421 ephemeris, listing objects brighter than magnitude +1 and at least 5 degrees up.

What makes Gosford distinctive for the 2028 eclipse?

Gosford's waterfront has been rebuilt around Leagues Club Field, a $10 million park with a tidal terrace that brings Brisbane Water back onto land reclaimed in the early 1900s. It is the obvious public gathering place for a Central Coast eclipse and sits on the train line. Source.

3 Gosford viewing sites, measured

The Sun is 29 degrees up in the north-north-west, and the hills around Brisbane Water rise no more than 2.6 degrees in that direction from the measured sites. Buildings and trees are the real obstruction: on the waterfront, stand where the view across the water is open to the north-west.

Measured at each site for maximum eclipse, when the Sun is about 29° high at azimuth 327°.
Site	Totality	Terrain horizon toward Sun	Sun vs terrain	Ground
Rumbalara Reserve	3:14	0.8°	Clear by 28°	80 m
Gosford waterfront, Masons Parade	3:19	2.1°	Clear by 27°	4 m
Kibble Park	3:18	2.6°	Clear by 27°	12 m

Each chart traces Gosford's terrain 30° either side of azimuth 327°, where the Sun stands at maximum; it shows hills, not trees or buildings (how the sites were measured).

Rumbalara Reserve

Bushland ridge east of the centre with fenced lookouts over Gosford. The upper gates close at 8 p.m., and the lookouts are small, so this suits a few people, not a crowd. Facilities and access.
Gosford waterfront, Masons Parade

The Brisbane Water foreshore by the sailing club, with open water to the north-west and Leagues Club Field next door. It is a ten-minute walk from Gosford station. Facilities and access.
Kibble Park

The central park on Donnison Street, with toilets, shade and grass, a few minutes from the station. The council began upgrading it in 2026. Facilities and access.

July weather in Gosford: the station record

The long-term July record at Gosford (Narara Research Station) AWS shows 10.0 clear days (at Peats Ridge (Waratah Road)), 3.9 eighths of the sky clouded at 3 p.m. (at Peats Ridge (Waratah Road)), 6.4 days with at least 1 mm of rain and a mean 3 p.m. temperature of 16.1°C.

An average July, from Bureau of Meteorology station records.
July	Gosford (Narara Research Station) AWS	Peats Ridge (Waratah Road)
Clear days	–	10.0 days 29 yrs, 1981–2011
Cloudy days	–	6.9 days 29 yrs, 1981–2011
3 p.m. cloud cover	–	3.9 oktas 29 yrs, 1981–2011
9 a.m. cloud cover	2.6 oktas 20 yrs, 1952–1998	3.5 oktas 29 yrs, 1981–2011
Days with 1 mm or more of rain	6.4 days 92 yrs, 1917–2013	6.8 days 33 yrs, 1981–2015
Rainfall	80.2 mm 93 yrs, 1916–2013	62.7 mm 31 yrs, 1981–2015
Mean maximum	17.5°C 33 yrs, 1954–2013	15.8°C 31 yrs, 1981–2012
Mean 3 p.m. temperature	16.1°C 16 yrs, 1976–2010	14.4°C 29 yrs, 1981–2011
Mean minimum	4.7°C 33 yrs, 1954–2013	6.1°C 31 yrs, 1981–2012
Days at or below 0°C	1.6 days 30 yrs, 1965–2013	0.1 days 31 yrs, 1981–2012
Mean 3 p.m. wind	7.6 km/h 15 yrs, 1976–2010	6.6 km/h 25 yrs, 1981–2011

Narara Research Station, just north of Gosford, has no usable cloud record. Peats Ridge, on the plateau about 15 km west of Gosford, supplies the cloud record. Sources: Gosford (Narara Research Station) AWS, Peats Ridge (Waratah Road), whose averages describe past Julys rather than the sky on 22 July 2028.

Mean clear days in July, out of 31: Gosford's station highlighted against the long-record station for each other totality town.

If cloud threatens the coast: inland by train or south toward Sydney

The Central Coast shares Sydney's winter pattern: cloud arrives with fronts and often clears behind them. Peats Ridge, on the plateau above Gosford, averages 10 clear and 7 cloudy July days. If the coast looks cloudy, the trains run both ways: south to Hornsby and Sydney, which keep totality, or west to the Blue Mountains line. Decide by breakfast.

Eclipse day in Gosford

First contact is at 12:40 p.m. AEST, totality runs from about 1:59 to 2:03 p.m. and the partial phase ends at 3:14 p.m. Arrive before noon if you want a waterfront spot, and come by train: parking near the water will run out.

Getting to Gosford

Central Coast Line trains run from Sydney Central and Newcastle Interchange; the trip from Sydney takes about an hour and a half. By road, Gosford is about 75 km from Sydney on the M1 and 90 km from Newcastle. Expect the M1 to carry Hunter residents heading south to the path.

Who Gosford suits

Gosford suits Central Coast and Hunter residents, and Sydney visitors who want a waterfront eclipse with fewer people than the harbour. It is less suited to anyone chasing the longest totality: Sydney gets half a minute more.

Safety in Gosford

Crowd and water hazards apply on the waterfront: keep children back from the seawall when everyone looks up, and agree a meeting point before totality. On Rumbalara's lookouts, stay behind the fences. See the eye safety guide.

Questions about Gosford

Where is the best place to watch the eclipse in Gosford?

Of the measured sites, Gosford waterfront, Masons Parade has the longest totality, 3:19. The Sun clears the terrain at every Gosford site measured, so trees, buildings and facilities decide the rest.

Is Newcastle in the path of totality?

No. Newcastle sees a 99.7% partial eclipse; the northern edge passes about 22 km south of the city. Gosford is the nearest large town in the path, about an hour and a half by train or road.

Is Gosford better than Sydney for the eclipse?

Sydney gets about 30 seconds more totality, but Gosford's waterfront will be less crowded and has the same weather pattern. If you live on the Central Coast or in the Hunter, staying here saves a long trip.

Nearby city guides

Compare Sydney, Penrith, Katoomba, or browse all city guides.

Sources

Gosford's eclipse times are calculated from NASA GSFC Besselian elements (path table) and compared with the Astronomical Society of Australia's timing table. The Gosford site horizons use the terrain model behind the visibility map, with coordinates from OpenStreetMap.