Wyndham Total Solar Eclipse 2028
Wyndham, Western Australia's northernmost town, gets 3 minutes 24 seconds of totality at 10:59 a.m. AWST, about 30 seconds more than Kununurra, with the Sun 53 degrees up in the north-north-east.
Wyndham on 22 July 2028
Totality in central Wyndham lasts 3 minutes, 24 seconds, at about 10:59 a.m. AWST on 22 July 2028. The partial eclipse runs from 9:25 a.m. AWST to 12:31 p.m. AWST. Of the 3 sites measured below, Clarrie Cassidy Memorial Oval has the longest totality, 3:25, against 3:14 at the shortest.
Wyndham's key decision: the Five Rivers view or the extra seconds in town?
Wyndham gets about 30 seconds more totality than Kununurra. The Bastion lookout gives the view; the town oval and port keep the longer totality.
- Five Rivers Lookout gets 3m 14s; the town oval 3m 25s.
- Accommodation is limited: most visitors will drive an hour from Kununurra.
- Saltwater crocodiles live in the gulf: stay back from the port's edge.
Eclipse times in Wyndham
- First contact
- Maximum
- End
- Totality
- 3 minutes, 24 seconds
- Magnitude
- 1.007
In UTC on 22 July 2028: first contact 01:25, maximum 02:59, eclipse ends 04:31. Add to calendar (.ics)
Wyndham in the path of totality
Wyndham sits about 27 km inside the northern edge of the path. Its totality is longer than Kununurra's because it sits a little further inside the edge: about 27 km against Kununurra's 20. The three measured sites vary by 11 seconds: down at the port and the town oval totality lasts 3 minutes 21 to 3 minutes 25 seconds, while the Five Rivers Lookout on top of the Bastion gets 3 minutes 14 seconds.
What you will see in the dark sky
During totality the sky over Wyndham darkens to deep twilight. Look for Venus, 39 degrees up in the northwest; Mercury, 52 degrees up in the north, only 4 degrees from the eclipsed Sun; Jupiter, 26 degrees up in the east-northeast; Saturn, 11 degrees up in the west-northwest. From Wyndham the brightest stars likely to show are Sirius (west), Canopus (south-southwest), Alpha Centauri (south-southeast), Capella (north-northwest).
| Object | Height | Direction | Magnitude |
|---|---|---|---|
| Venus | 39° | northwest | -4.6 |
| Mercury | 52° | north | -1.9 |
| Jupiter | 26° | east-northeast | -1.8 |
| Saturn | 11° | west-northwest | +0.4 |
| Sirius | 79° | west | -1.5 |
| Canopus | 50° | south-southwest | -0.7 |
| Alpha Centauri | 6° | south-southeast | -0.3 |
| Capella | 21° | north-northwest | +0.1 |
What makes Wyndham distinctive for the 2028 eclipse?
Wyndham was founded in 1886 as the port for the Halls Creek gold rush and still works as the East Kimberley's port. From the Five Rivers Lookout on the Bastion Range you can see the Ord, Forrest, King, Durack and Pentecost rivers enter Cambridge Gulf, where tides rise and fall by up to 9 metres. Source.
3 Wyndham viewing sites, measured
Terrain only matters at the town oval, where the Bastion Range rises 4.8 degrees toward the Sun, which is still 48 degrees clear. The lookout gives the widest view of the landscape darkening but loses 11 seconds of totality and has a small car park at the top of a steep sealed road. The port at Anthon Landing has open water to the north.
| Site | Totality | Terrain horizon toward Sun | Sun vs terrain | Ground |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Five Rivers Lookout, The Bastion | 3:14 | -0.5° | Clear by 54° | 271 m |
| Clarrie Cassidy Memorial Oval | 3:25 | 4.8° | Clear by 49° | 3 m |
| Anthon Landing, Wyndham Port | 3:21 | 0.3° | Clear by 53° | 29 m |
Each chart traces Wyndham's terrain 30° either side of azimuth 14°, where the Sun stands at maximum; it shows hills, not trees or buildings (how the sites were measured).
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Five Rivers Lookout, The Bastion
A sealed road climbs about 300 m to the summit of the Bastion Range above the town, with views over five rivers and Cambridge Gulf. Parking at the top is limited. Facilities and access.
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Clarrie Cassidy Memorial Oval
The town oval beside the Great Northern Highway in Wyndham's town centre, with room to spread out and the longest measured totality of the three sites. Facilities and access.
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Anthon Landing, Wyndham Port
The historic port precinct below the Bastion, with open water to the north across the gulf. Keep well back from the water's edge. Facilities and access.
July weather in Wyndham: the station record
The long-term July record at Wyndham Aero shows 19.0 clear days (at Kununurra Aero) and a mean 3 p.m. temperature of 30.9°C.
| July | Wyndham Aero | Kununurra Aero |
|---|---|---|
| Clear days | – | 19.0 days 25 yrs, 1986–2010 |
| Cloudy days | – | 1.2 days 25 yrs, 1986–2010 |
| Rainfall | 2.9 mm 39 yrs, 1951–2026 | 1.4 mm 49 yrs, 1971–2026 |
| Mean maximum | 32.1°C 26 yrs, 2000–2026 | 30.8°C 40 yrs, 1986–2026 |
| Mean 3 p.m. temperature | 30.9°C 10 yrs, 2000–2010 | 30.1°C 25 yrs, 1986–2010 |
| Mean minimum | 15.3°C 26 yrs, 2000–2026 | 14.7°C 40 yrs, 1986–2026 |
| Mean 3 p.m. wind | 16.6 km/h 10 yrs, 2000–2010 | 12.7 km/h 24 yrs, 1986–2010 |
Wyndham Aero has no usable cloud record. Kununurra Aero, 67 km south-east, supplies the cloud record. Sources: Wyndham Aero, Kununurra Aero, whose averages describe past Julys rather than the sky on 22 July 2028.
If you want more totality: El Questro or the highway south
As in Kununurra, cloud is unlikely: satellite records show under 10 per cent cloud along this part of the track in July. For more time, El Questro Wilderness Park off the Gibb River Road measures about 4 minutes 35 seconds, but it is private land and needs a park permit. The Great Northern Highway south toward Warmun gains time steadily. Decide the day before; there is no point chasing seconds on unfamiliar roads on eclipse morning.
Eclipse day in Wyndham
First contact is at 9:25 a.m. AWST, totality runs from about 10:57 to 11:00 a.m., and the partial phase ends at 12:31 p.m. If you want the lookout, drive up early and stay put; the road will be busy after totality and the summit car park fills quickly.
Getting to Wyndham
Wyndham is about 100 km from Kununurra, an hour's drive via the Victoria and Great Northern highways, and about 1,050 km from Broome. Most visitors fly into Kununurra and drive. Accommodation in Wyndham is limited to a few motels and the caravan park, so many people will stay in Kununurra and drive over on the morning.
Who Wyndham suits
Wyndham suits travellers who want slightly longer totality than Kununurra with fewer people, and anyone who wants the Five Rivers view as the light changes. It is less suited to large groups who need accommodation in the same town.
Safety in Wyndham
Saltwater crocodiles live in Cambridge Gulf and its rivers: stay well back from the water at the port and boat ramps. Expect July days around 32 degrees and road trains on the highway. See the eye safety guide.
Questions about Wyndham
Where is the best place to watch the eclipse in Wyndham?
Of the measured sites, Clarrie Cassidy Memorial Oval has the longest totality, 3:25. The Sun clears the terrain at every Wyndham site measured, so trees, buildings and facilities decide the rest.
Is the Five Rivers Lookout worth it for the eclipse?
For the view, yes: you watch the shadow fall across the gulf and the rivers. It costs 11 seconds of totality against the town oval, and the summit car park is small, so arrive early or accept a longer total eclipse down in town.
Where should I stay for a Wyndham eclipse?
Wyndham has little accommodation, so most visitors will stay in Kununurra, an hour away, and drive over early on the morning. Book early either way: July is peak dry season in the Kimberley.
Further reading
- Kimberley regional guide
- First-timer's eclipse plan
- Eclipse weather strategy
- Build your eclipse-day plan — turn Wyndham's contact times and your fallback route into a printable checklist.
Nearby city guides
Compare Kununurra, Tennant Creek, Bourke, or browse all city guides.
Sources
Wyndham's eclipse times are calculated from NASA GSFC Besselian elements (path table) and compared with the Astronomical Society of Australia's timing table. The Wyndham site horizons use the terrain model behind the visibility map, with coordinates from OpenStreetMap.