Eclipse 2028 practical guide
Australia's Total Eclipses: 2012, 2023 and 2028 Compared
Australia has had two total eclipses in the past fifteen years: a dawn eclipse over Cairns in 2012 and a one-minute midday eclipse at Exmouth in 2023. Each one taught something useful about 2028, which is longer, crosses far more people and comes in mid-winter.
Quick answer
On 14 November 2012 totality lasted about 2 minutes at Cairns, shortly after sunrise, watched by an estimated 50,000 to 60,000 people. On 20 April 2023 it lasted about 1 minute at Exmouth, a town of about 2,800 people that drew tens of thousands. On 22 July 2028 it lasts up to 5 minutes 10 seconds and crosses Sydney, with about 3 minutes 48 seconds there.
Three eclipses side by side
| 14 November 2012 | 20 April 2023 | 22 July 2028 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Where most people watched | Cairns and Palm Cove, Queensland | Exmouth, Western Australia | Sydney, inland NSW, the Kimberley, Otago |
| Totality there | About 2 minutes | About 1 minute (62 s at the Kailis viewing platform) | 3 m 48 s in Sydney; up to 5 m 10 s on the centre line |
| Time of day | About 6:38 a.m., shortly after sunrise | About 11:29 a.m. | 10:47 a.m. AWST on the Kimberley coast to 4:17 p.m. NZST in Otago |
| Season | Late spring, start of the wet season | Autumn | Mid-winter |
| Type | Total | Hybrid: annular at the ends of the track, total in the middle | Total |
| Crowd | Estimated 50,000 to 60,000 in the Cairns region | Tens of thousands in a town of about 2,800 | Millions live inside the path |
2012: a dawn eclipse over Cairns
The 2012 path began at sunrise in Arnhem Land, crossed Cape York and reached the coast at Cairns, where totality lasted about two minutes a little over an hour after sunrise, before heading out over the Pacific. The Bureau of Meteorology warned beforehand that Cairns averages about half the sky covered by cloud in the early morning in November. On the day, cloud cleared at Palm Cove in time for totality, while some observers a short distance away were clouded out. The Queensland Government estimated 50,000 to 60,000 people came to watch.
The lesson for 2028: on a coast, cloud can decide the eclipse over a few kilometres. Sydney, the Central Coast and Wollongong face the same risk; have a fallback you can reach by train or within an hour's drive.
2023: a minute at Exmouth
The 20 April 2023 eclipse was a hybrid: annular at the ends of its track and total in the middle, where it crossed the North West Cape. Totality at Exmouth lasted about a minute, 62 seconds at the shire's Kailis viewing platform, in the late morning. The Shire of Exmouth, a town of about 2,800 people, planned for tens of thousands of visitors, with designated viewing areas, camping and traffic management, and the day passed under largely clear skies.
The lesson for 2028: small towns can handle an eclipse crowd when they plan years ahead. The Kimberley, Tennant Creek and the Otago towns are now doing the same; the news page follows their plans.
2028: longer, colder and through the cities
The 2028 eclipse is different in scale. Its totality is up to five times as long as 2023's, it comes in mid-winter, and the path crosses Sydney, the Central Coast, Wollongong, the Blue Mountains and Dunedin, so millions of people can see it without travelling. It also crosses some of the most remote country in Australia, where the logistics look more like Exmouth's than Sydney's.
What to take from all three: pick a site with a fallback, rehearse the timing, and get solar viewers early: the town guides give every contact time, and the first-timer's guide turns them into a plan.
Frequently asked questions
When was Australia's last total solar eclipse before 2028?
20 April 2023, a hybrid eclipse that was total for about a minute at Exmouth on the North West Cape of Western Australia. Before that, 14 November 2012 over Cairns and far north Queensland.
Is the 2028 eclipse longer than the 2012 and 2023 eclipses?
Much longer. Totality in 2028 lasts up to 5 minutes 10 seconds in the Kimberley and about 3 minutes 48 seconds in Sydney, against about 2 minutes at Cairns in 2012 and about 1 minute at Exmouth in 2023.
When is the next total eclipse in Australia after 2028?
25 November 2030, at sunset across South Australia, north-western New South Wales and south-eastern Queensland. See the guide to the 2030 eclipse.
Found an error? See the correction policy.
Continue exploring
Read about earlier eclipses: Sydney in 1857, Wallal in 1922 and Dunedin in 1163, or look ahead to the 2030 eclipse.