Wollongong Total Solar Eclipse 2028
Wollongong is a coastal totality city south of Sydney, with strong eclipse circumstances and many open-sky viewing options.
Wollongong on 22 July 2028
Totality in central Wollongong lasts 2 minutes, 50 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. Of the 5 sites measured below, Sublime Point has the longest totality, 3:13, against 2:49 at the shortest.
Wollongong's key decision: beach access or an escarpment-aware fallback?
Wollongong's coast and escarpment create sharply different horizons and travel constraints. A beach is useful only with a clear solar direction; a higher site is useful only when access, capacity and the actual north-west view have been checked.
- The escarpment does not block the Sun: foreshore horizons measure about 3 degrees.
- Moving north gains time: Sublime Point gets 21 seconds more than the city foreshore.
- Coming from Sydney? Stay there: it gets about a minute more totality.
Eclipse times in Wollongong
- First contact
- Maximum
- End
- Totality
- 2 minutes, 50 seconds
- Magnitude
- 1.008
In UTC on 22 July 2028: first contact 02:40, maximum 04:01, eclipse ends 05:14. Add to calendar (.ics)
Wollongong in the path of totality
The path's southern edge crosses the coast a little south of Kiama, so totality changes fast along the Illawarra: about 2 minutes 50 seconds at Wollongong's city centre, about 1 minute 35 at Kiama and 3 minutes 48 in Sydney. Moving north gains time. Sublime Point, on the escarpment above Austinmer, gets about 3 minutes 13 seconds, 21 seconds more than the city foreshore.
What you will see in the dark sky
During totality the sky over Wollongong darkens to deep twilight. Look for Mercury, 25 degrees up in the northwest, only 4 degrees from the eclipsed Sun; Jupiter, 46 degrees up in the northeast. From Wollongong the brightest stars likely to show are Sirius (west), Canopus (southwest), Alpha Centauri (southeast), Arcturus (east-northeast). From Wollongong, Venus is on the west-northwest horizon, too low to count on.
| Object | Height | Direction | Magnitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mercury | 25° | northwest | -1.9 |
| Jupiter | 46° | northeast | -1.8 |
| Sirius | 42° | west | -1.5 |
| Canopus | 47° | southwest | -0.7 |
| Alpha Centauri | 40° | southeast | -0.3 |
| Arcturus | 10° | east-northeast | -0.1 |
What makes Wollongong distinctive for the 2028 eclipse?
Wollongong falls solidly inside the 2028 path, well clear of the ragged northern edge near Newcastle - the band runs from Lake Macquarie down through Sydney to Kiama, with Wollongong comfortably inside it. CSIRO astronomer Dr Vanessa Moss has called the 2028 eclipse "a really accessible one as far as solar eclipses go," needing only a relatively cheap pair of solar glasses to watch safely. The Illawarra escarpment's lookouts, including Bald Hill above Stanwell Park Beach and Sublime Point, give elevated, open sightlines across the coast. Source.
5 Wollongong viewing sites, measured
The escarpment rises behind the city, but the Sun is high enough to clear it. From the foreshore, the measured horizon toward the Sun is 2.7 to 3.7 degrees, leaving the 29-degree Sun about 25 degrees clear. From Mount Keira, which is on top of the escarpment, the horizon is level. The bigger difference between sites is duration: northern sites gain up to 20 seconds.
| Site | Totality | Terrain horizon toward Sun | Sun vs terrain | Ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flagstaff Hill | 2:53 | 3.0° | Clear by 26° | 5 m |
| Stuart Park and North Wollongong Beach | 2:54 | 3.7° | Clear by 25° | 5 m |
| Lang Park foreshore | 2:52 | 2.7° | Clear by 26° | 9 m |
| Sublime Point | 3:13 | 4.4° | Clear by 24° | 351 m |
| Mount Keira summit park | 2:49 | -0.1° | Clear by 29° | 454 m |
Each chart traces Wollongong'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).
-
Flagstaff Hill
The headland park around Wollongong Head lighthouse, part of the city foreshore. The measured horizon toward the Sun is 3.0 degrees and totality is about 2 minutes 53 seconds. Keep back from the breakwater in winter swell. Facilities and access.
-
Stuart Park and North Wollongong Beach
A large foreshore park beside North Wollongong station. The measured horizon is 3.7 degrees, the highest of the foreshore sites, because the escarpment is closest here. Facilities and access.
-
Lang Park foreshore
A City Beach event site with toilets, including accessible toilets. The measured horizon is 2.7 degrees. Facilities and access.
-
Sublime Point
An escarpment lookout above Austinmer, managed by NSW National Parks, which publishes track closures. Totality is about 3 minutes 13 seconds, the longest of the Wollongong sites. Parking is very limited. Facilities and access.
-
Mount Keira summit park
A council lookout on top of the escarpment, reached by a narrow, winding road. Its horizon toward the Sun is level, but totality is about 2 minutes 49 seconds, slightly shorter than the city. Facilities and access.
July weather in Wollongong: the station record
The long-term July record at Wollongong University shows 12.6 clear days, 3.8 eighths of the sky clouded at 3 p.m., 5.9 days with at least 1 mm of rain and a mean 3 p.m. temperature of 15.7°C.
| July | Wollongong University |
|---|---|
| Clear days | 12.6 days 37 yrs, 1970–2008 |
| Cloudy days | 8.0 days 37 yrs, 1970–2008 |
| 3 p.m. cloud cover | 3.8 oktas 37 yrs, 1970–2008 |
| 9 a.m. cloud cover | 3.3 oktas 37 yrs, 1970–2008 |
| Days with 1 mm or more of rain | 5.9 days 38 yrs, 1970–2008 |
| Rainfall | 63.4 mm 35 yrs, 1970–2008 |
| Mean maximum | 17.0°C 38 yrs, 1970–2008 |
| Mean 3 p.m. temperature | 15.7°C 37 yrs, 1970–2008 |
| Mean minimum | 8.3°C 38 yrs, 1970–2008 |
| Days at or below 0°C | 0.0 days 38 yrs, 1970–2008 |
| Mean 3 p.m. wind | 10.8 km/h 36 yrs, 1970–2008 |
Wollongong University sits on the coastal plain below the escarpment. Sources: Wollongong University, whose averages describe past Julys rather than the sky on 22 July 2028.
If cloud threatens Wollongong: head north, not inland
The escape routes are few and known: Mount Ousley Road and the M1 up the escarpment toward Sydney, Picton Road across the top toward the Hume Motorway, and the Illawarra Highway over Macquarie Pass toward the Southern Highlands. If forecasts point inland, take one of them the previous evening or early on the morning - not at midday, when everyone else has read the same forecast. Movement along the coastal strip itself is short and manageable; it is the climbs out that bottleneck. Fuel up beforehand.
Eclipse day in Wollongong
Decide between the foreshore's facilities and the extra seconds to the north. Flagstaff Hill and Lang Park have toilets and space; Sublime Point and the northern beaches have more totality. Be in place before first contact at 12:40 p.m.; totality is at about 2:01 p.m.
Getting to Wollongong
Wollongong is about 90 minutes from Central on the South Coast Line, and about an hour and a quarter by road. North Wollongong station is a short walk from Stuart Park. Parking at Sublime Point and Mount Keira is very limited.
Who Wollongong suits
Wollongong suits Illawarra residents and anyone who wants a beach setting. If you are travelling in from Sydney, stay in Sydney: it gets about a minute more totality. If you are already here, head north for more time.
Safety in Wollongong
Wollongong's specific risks sit at its edges: winter swell over the harbour breakwaters and rock platforms, and escarpment lookouts with sheer drops, ice-prone paths, and small car parks overwhelmed in the fading light around totality. Watch children near the sea wall at Flagstaff Point, and treat cliff fencing as the boundary it is. See the eye safety guide.
Questions about Wollongong
Where is the best place to watch the eclipse in Wollongong?
Of the measured sites, Sublime Point has the longest totality, 3:13. The Sun clears the terrain at every Wollongong site measured, so trees, buildings and facilities decide the rest.
Will the escarpment block the Sun?
No. The measured horizon toward the Sun from the foreshore is about 3 degrees, and the Sun will be 29 degrees high. The escarpment is behind the Sun's line, not in front of it.
How should I plan travel?
Take the South Coast Line if you can: North Wollongong station is next to Stuart Park. If you drive, park in the city and walk to the foreshore, or arrive at Sublime Point early.
Further reading
- Inland NSW road trip
- First-timer's eclipse plan
- Eclipse weather strategy
- Build your eclipse-day plan — plan Wollongong's coastal viewing site and transport on one printable page.
Nearby city guides
Compare Sydney, Penrith, Katoomba, or browse all city guides.
Sources
Wollongong's eclipse times are calculated from NASA GSFC Besselian elements (path table) and compared with Timeanddate for Wollongong. The Wollongong site horizons use the terrain model behind the visibility map, with coordinates from OpenStreetMap. The NASA-based coordinate calculation uses the coordinates shown in the dataset and zero observer height. Timeanddate lists about 2 minutes 53 seconds for Wollongong; exact position and model assumptions affect the result.