Outback Queensland total solar eclipse guide
Totality crosses south-west Queensland between about 1:34 and 1:50 p.m. AEST on 22 July 2028. Bedourie gets about 4 minutes 27 seconds and Thargomindah about 4 minutes 16 seconds. Birdsville, famous as it is, sits about 7 km outside the southern edge and sees a 99.97% partial eclipse, so drive a few kilometres north.
- Totality window
- 1:34–1:50 p.m. AEST
- Bedourie
- 4m 27s
- Thargomindah
- 4m 16s
- Birdsville
- Partial, 7 km outside
Where totality falls in Queensland
After the Northern Territory, the shadow crosses the Channel Country of south-west Queensland: the Diamantina, Georgina and Cooper systems, gibber plains and dunes on the edge of the Simpson and Strzelecki deserts. It enters the state north of Bedourie and leaves it across the New South Wales border near Hungerford, about 15 minutes later. The Sun is about 40 degrees up in the north-north-west.
Very few people live here, and the path's edges run close to several well-known places. Bedourie, the Diamantina Shire's centre on Eyre Creek, is comfortably inside with about 4 minutes 27 seconds. Birdsville, about 190 km south, is not: the southern edge passes about 7 km north of the town, so the Birdsville Races crowd would see the Sun reduced to a thread of light but never a corona. Boulia, Windorah, Quilpie and Cunnamulla are all just outside.
| Place | Totality | Maximum (local) | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Betoota | 4 m 31 s | 1:40 p.m. AEST | Ghost town and hotel on the Birdsville Developmental Road |
| Haddon Corner | 4 m 30 s | 1:41 p.m. | Queensland-South Australia border marker; 4WD |
| Bedourie | 4 m 27 s | 1:36 p.m. | Diamantina Shire's centre, on Eyre Creek |
| Thargomindah | 4 m 16 s | 1:47 p.m. | Bulloo Shire's centre |
| Hungerford | 4 m 05 s | 1:49 p.m. | Border village on the dog fence |
| Noccundra | 3 m 46 s | 1:45 p.m. | Hotel and waterhole |
| Birdsville | partial (99.97%) | 1:37 p.m. | Path begins about 7 km north of town |
| Big Red dune | partial (99.6%) | 1:37 p.m. | West of Birdsville; outside the path |
| Windorah | partial (99%) | 1:44 p.m. | Outside the path |
| Boulia | partial (98%) | 1:36 p.m. | Outside the path |
| Cunnamulla | partial (99%) | 1:51 p.m. | Outside the path |
| Mount Isa | partial (94%) | 1:33 p.m. | Outside the path |
Times were calculated with the site's solver from NASA's Besselian elements. NASA notes that the Moon's rough edge can move the predicted limits by 1 to 3 km. That matters at Birdsville: if you want totality, do not stop at the first kilometre inside the line. Drive at least 15 to 20 km north along the road to Bedourie to be safely inside.
Bedourie, Betoota and the Birdsville road
The Eyre Developmental Road between Birdsville and Bedourie runs north across the path, so a Birdsville base works if you drive north on the morning; the time grows from zero at the edge to over four minutes near Bedourie. To the east, Betoota, a ghost town with a famous hotel, and Haddon Corner, the marker where Queensland meets South Australia, both get about 4 minutes 30 seconds, but they are reached on long unsealed roads.
Thargomindah and the south
Thargomindah, the Bulloo Shire's centre on the Bulloo River, gets about 4 minutes 16 seconds and is reached on sealed roads from Cunnamulla, which is just outside the path. Noccundra, 100 km west, gets about 3 minutes 46 seconds, and Hungerford, on the New South Wales border and the dingo fence, about 4 minutes 5 seconds.
Weather and the outback in July
July is dry and mild in the Channel Country: Bedourie's mean July rainfall is about 11 mm. Satellite records show low average cloud here, although Jay Anderson's eclipse weather analysis warns that rain does happen: Bedourie's record July fall is 137 mm, in 1986, and Birdsville had more than 50 mm in July 2024. He also notes that gusts above 70 km/h crossed this part of the track on 25 July 2025. One wet week can close dirt roads for days, so keep a sealed-road alternative.
Remote travel
Distances here are long even by outback standards: Bedourie is about 190 km south of Boulia and 190 km north of Birdsville, and fuel stops are far apart. Check road conditions with the Queensland traffic and road conditions service and the shire councils before you leave, carry water, food, spare tyres and a satellite messenger or beacon, and tell someone your route. Accommodation in these towns is limited to a hotel, a caravan park and a few cabins; most visitors will camp.
Frequently asked questions
Is Birdsville in the path of totality?
No, but only just. The southern edge passes about 7 km north of Birdsville, which sees 99.97% of the Sun covered. Drive 15 to 20 km north toward Bedourie to be safely inside the path.
Where is the longest totality in Queensland?
Around Betoota and Haddon Corner, with about 4 minutes 30 seconds, and Bedourie, with about 4 minutes 27 seconds. Thargomindah, on sealed roads, gets about 4 minutes 16.
Is Mount Isa or Longreach in the path?
No. Mount Isa sees a 94% partial. The path crosses only the far south-west of the state, between Bedourie and Thargomindah.
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