Penrith Total Solar Eclipse 2028
Penrith is a western Sydney totality location, combining metropolitan access with a position close to the Blue Mountains.
Penrith on 22 July 2028
Totality in Penrith lasts 3 minutes, 45 seconds at the city centre, at about 2:00 p.m. AEST on 22 July 2028. The partial eclipse runs from 12:39 p.m. AEST to 3:14 p.m. AEST. Totality varies by less than five seconds across the 4 sites measured below, so choose on sightline and access.
Penrith's key decision: stay transport-connected or push farther inland?
Penrith keeps Sydney services and rail access while sitting farther west in the basin. It is a strong low-complexity choice when you select open ground early; travelling farther only helps if the forecast difference is meaningful and the route remains safe.
- Totality is within five seconds of central Sydney, with far more open ground.
- Measured horizons toward the Sun are 1.3 to 2.6 degrees; river gums are the real obstruction.
- Moving inland rarely pays off: decide by breakfast, before the westbound traffic builds.
Eclipse times in Penrith
- First contact
- Maximum
- End
- Totality
- 3 minutes, 45 seconds
- Magnitude
- 1.020
In UTC on 22 July 2028: first contact 02:39, maximum 04:00, eclipse ends 05:14. Add to calendar (.ics)
Penrith in the path of totality
Penrith gets about 3 minutes 45 seconds of totality, within five seconds of central Sydney, with the Sun about 29 degrees up in the north-northwest. Totality is almost identical across Penrith: the four sites measured below range from 3 minutes 44 to 3 minutes 46 seconds, with the Regatta Centre longest.
What makes Penrith distinctive for the 2028 eclipse?
Penrith sits low, just 32 metres above sea level on the Nepean River in the basin between the Blue Mountains and Sydney - a position that gives it dry, sheltered winters with barely half of coastal Sydney's rainfall. That same basin geography is also why Penrith holds one of Australia's most extreme documented heat records: 48.9 degrees Celsius on 4 January 2020. In winter, the same sheltered position tends to favour clearer skies. Source.
4 Penrith viewing sites, measured
The Blue Mountains are to the west, not in front of the Sun, so Penrith's horizons stay low: 1.3 to 2.6 degrees toward the Sun at the sites measured. River gums along the Nepean are the main obstruction. The Regatta Centre lakes and Jamison Park have the most open ground, and Tench Reserve and the Great River Walk have the river setting.
| Site | Totality | Terrain horizon toward Sun | Sun vs terrain | Ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tench Reserve, Nepean River | 3:44 | 2.6° | Clear by 27° | 26 m |
| Sydney International Regatta Centre, Penrith Lakes | 3:46 | 2.6° | Clear by 27° | 14 m |
| Jamison Park | 3:44 | 1.3° | Clear by 28° | 31 m |
| Great River Walk, Emu Plains side | 3:45 | 2.0° | Clear by 27° | 29 m |
Each chart traces Penrith's terrain 30° either side of azimuth 328°, where the Sun stands at maximum; it shows hills, not trees or buildings (how the sites were measured).
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Tench Reserve, Nepean River
A riverside reserve with picnic areas, paths and parking. The measured horizon toward the Sun is 2.6 degrees; pick a spot where the river gums are not in the north-northwest. Facilities and access.
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Sydney International Regatta Centre, Penrith Lakes
The 2000 Olympic rowing venue, open for recreation on non-event days, with wide grassed banks and the longest totality measured in Penrith, about 3 minutes 46 seconds. Check the venue calendar for 22 July 2028. Facilities and access.
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Jamison Park
A council sports park with toilets and parking and the lowest measured horizon in Penrith, 1.3 degrees. Sports bookings can affect access. Facilities and access.
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Great River Walk, Emu Plains side
The riverside walk between Penrith and Emu Plains, measured at Regatta Park. Do not set up on the shared path itself. Facilities and access.
July weather in Penrith: the station record
The long-term July record at Penrith Lakes AWS shows 12.0 clear days (at Orchard Hills Treatment Works), 3.6 eighths of the sky clouded at 3 p.m. (at Orchard Hills Treatment Works), 4.4 days with at least 1 mm of rain and a mean 3 p.m. temperature of 16.6°C.
| July | Penrith Lakes AWS | Orchard Hills Treatment Works |
|---|---|---|
| Clear days | – | 12.0 days 15 yrs, 1971–1989 |
| Cloudy days | – | 5.9 days 15 yrs, 1971–1989 |
| 3 p.m. cloud cover | – | 3.6 oktas 15 yrs, 1971–1989 |
| 9 a.m. cloud cover | – | 2.9 oktas 15 yrs, 1971–1989 |
| Days with 1 mm or more of rain | 4.4 days 30 yrs, 1995–2026 | 4.7 days 54 yrs, 1970–2025 |
| Rainfall | 37.0 mm 28 yrs, 1995–2026 | 41.7 mm 37 yrs, 1970–2025 |
| Mean maximum | 18.1°C 31 yrs, 1995–2026 | 17.2°C 16 yrs, 1970–1989 |
| Mean 3 p.m. temperature | 16.6°C 15 yrs, 1995–2010 | 16.0°C 16 yrs, 1970–1989 |
| Mean minimum | 5.5°C 31 yrs, 1995–2026 | 5.3°C 15 yrs, 1971–1989 |
| Days at or below 0°C | 0.3 days 31 yrs, 1995–2026 | 0.7 days 15 yrs, 1971–1989 |
| Mean 3 p.m. wind | 13.5 km/h 14 yrs, 1995–2010 | 9.9 km/h 14 yrs, 1972–1989 |
Penrith Lakes AWS has a long temperature record but no usable cloud series. Orchard Hills, about 8 km south-east of Penrith, has a short 1970s-80s cloud record. Sources: Penrith Lakes AWS, Orchard Hills Treatment Works, whose averages describe past Julys rather than the sky on 22 July 2028.
If cloud threatens Penrith: usually, stay put
Penrith needs less mobility planning than anywhere else in this guide - it is where other people's fallback plans point. If the basin forecast is genuinely poor, the options are west up the Great Western Highway into the mountains or a longer inland run, but make that call by breakfast; the westbound highway will carry every coastal observer who decided late. Staying put under broken cloud on a flat horizon is often the better bet. Afterwards, let the first wave of traffic go and leave an hour later than you planned.
Eclipse day in Penrith
Penrith's strategy is simple: claim space, not seconds. The duration matches central Sydney's to the second, so the decision is purely about sky, room, and comfort - and the river and lakes give some of the roomiest urban viewing in the path. Set up by midday, put the water between you and the north-northwest horizon if you want reflections and a long sightline, and keep filters on until totality begins at 2:00 p.m. Afterwards, give the second partial phase its due rather than packing up at 2:04 with an hour of eclipse still running.
Getting to Penrith
Penrith is about 55 minutes from Central on the T1 Western Line and Blue Mountains Line, and about an hour by road. Tench Reserve is about a 30-minute walk from the station; the Regatta Centre is about 4 km north. Expect the M4 and the trains to be busy after the eclipse; wait an hour before leaving.
Who Penrith suits
Penrith suits almost everyone already in Sydney: families with young children, first-time eclipse viewers, anyone dependent on public transport, and photographers who want water foregrounds without leaving the city. It is the low-drama, low-cost way to see the full event. What it does not offer is solitude or a landmark skyline - and travellers coming from interstate specifically to maximise clear-sky odds should still weigh the inland towns first.
Safety in Penrith
Water is Penrith's specific caution: the Nepean and the lakes throw hard glare during the partial phases, and reflected sunlight is not safe to stare at either - keep filters in use even when looking near the waterline. Riverbank edges and distracted crowds in the mid-eclipse gloom need watching with children. See the eye safety guide.
Questions about Penrith
Where is the best place to watch the eclipse in Penrith?
Of the sites measured on this page, Sydney International Regatta Centre, Penrith Lakes has the longest totality, 3:46. The Sun clears the terrain at every Penrith site measured, so trees, buildings and facilities decide the rest.
Should Sydney residents travel to Penrith for the eclipse?
Only for space or a different forecast. Totality is within five seconds of the city, but Penrith's river and lakes have far more open ground than the harbour foreshores.
Is the Regatta Centre or the Nepean riverbank the better spot?
The Regatta Centre has more open ground and a second or two more totality; the riverbank has more trees but more shade from the wind. Both have low horizons toward the Sun.
How heavy will traffic be around Penrith after totality?
Heavy. Expect the M4 and western trains to be full after the partial phase ends at about 3:14 p.m. Plan to stay an hour longer and let the first wave go.
Further reading
- Inland NSW road trip
- First-timer's eclipse plan
- Eclipse weather strategy
- Build your eclipse-day plan — plan transport, viewing site and timing for Penrith on one printable page.
Nearby city guides
Compare Sydney, Katoomba, Wollongong, or browse all city guides.
Sources
Eclipse times are calculated from NASA GSFC Besselian elements (path table) and compared with Timeanddate for Penrith. The Penrith site horizons use the terrain model behind the visibility map, with coordinates from OpenStreetMap. Penrith's figures are calculated for the town centre; across the lakes, Emu Plains, and the surrounding suburbs the times shift by about a second or less, so one clock-accurate schedule holds everywhere you might set up.