Blue Mountains total solar eclipse, 22 July 2028

Blue Mountains eclipse times (AEST)

Totality begins between about 1:58:20 pm (Mount Victoria) and 1:58:50 pm (Glenbrook). See the town table for each village.

Dress for 1,000 metres in July

The upper mountains average a 3 pm temperature of only about 8°C in July, and it gets colder during totality. Bring a warm jacket, beanie, gloves and something to sit on. Lookouts are exposed to wind, so a thermos is a good idea for the two-and-a-half-hour show.

Upper or lower mountains?

Totality is longest along the Bells Line of Road (Mount Tomah and Bilpin, about 3 min 47 to 50 s) and shortest around Katoomba and Leura (about 3 min 29 to 32 s). The lower mountains are warmer and less likely to be in cloud. Glenbrook, Springwood and Faulconbridge all get about 3 min 41 to 44 s.

Traffic and transport

The Great Western Highway is the only main road through the mountains and will be very busy. Take the Blue Mountains Line train if you can: Katoomba, Leura, Wentworth Falls and Blackheath stations are all within walking distance or a short bus ride of a lookout. If you drive, arrive by late morning and expect to wait to get out afterwards.

What you'll see in Blue Mountains, minute by minute

Times are AEST for Katoomba Echo Point. Lower down, Glenbrook goes into totality 19 s later.

1. 12:39:00 pmfirst contact. Wherever you are on the ridge, from Glenbrook to Mount Victoria, a small bite now shows on the right-hand edge of the Sun through your glasses. Glasses on.
2. About 1:28 pmthe Sun is about 53% covered. The blue haze over the valleys takes on a flat, slightly metallic look, and sunlight coming through gum leaves makes small crescents on the ground.
3. About 1:43 pmabout 77% covered. At 1,000 m the air was cold to begin with, and now it gets colder. The light feels like late afternoon, and birds in the bush around the lookouts may stop calling.
4. About 1:53 pmabout 93% covered. Look north-west along the range towards Mount Victoria and Lithgow. That sky goes dark first, as the Moon's shadow arrives at more than 4,000 km/h.
5. 1:58:31 pmthe diamond ring flashes and totality starts at Echo Point. Glasses stay on. The sky goes dark, and out over the valleys the horizon glows like sunset on every side.
6. 2:02:00 pma second diamond ring flashes on the opposite edge, and daylight starts to come back into the valleys. Glasses stay on.
7. 3:13:58 pmlast contact at Echo Point. The Moon moves clear of the Sun and the eclipse over the mountains is over.

Where to look

Most of the famous lookouts, Echo Point and Govetts Leap among them, face south or east, but the totality Sun is in the north-north-west: about 30° up, on a bearing of 329° true. So at those lookouts you turn to your left or behind you. That works, because the sky above the plateau is open. Mount Blackheath Lookout is the exception, facing west to north-west over the Kanimbla Valley with the Sun up and to your right. Wherever you stand, the thing to watch is close trees. Something on your NNW side blocks the Sun if you are nearer to it than about 1.8 times its height, so give a 10 m tree at least 18 m, and a 20-storey (60 m) building at least 110 m.

On the lawns at Mount Tomah or around Wentworth Falls Lake, trees are the main risk. Anything on your NNW side blocks the Sun if it's closer than about 1.8× its own height: stand 18 m back from a 10 m tree, and 110 m from a 20-storey tower.

Weather and traffic

Mountain cloud is the biggest risk, with about 8 clear July days in Katoomba. Check the forecast; if it's grim, Penrith and the Hawkesbury are 45 to 60 minutes down the hill and often clearer. Take the train (Blue Mountains Line) rather than drive.

How long totality lasts around the Blue Mountains

Times AEST, computed from JPL DE421 lunar ephemeris and cross-checked against NASA/Espenak Besselian elements. Every town in this table is well inside the path. It is only close to the path edges that durations become sensitive and can shift by 10 s or more.

Where to watch in Blue Mountains

Glasses on, the whole time

Through the whole eclipse at Echo Point, from 12:39:00 pm to 3:13:58 pm, keep ISO 12312-2 certified eclipse glasses on for every second, including totality from 1:58:31 pm to 2:02:00 pm. Sunglasses, smoked glass and homemade filters will not protect your eyes, and a camera, binoculars or a telescope needs a proper solar filter on the front before you look through it.

Will it be clear?

The mountains are cloudier than the plains in winter: Katoomba averages 8.0 clear and 9.9 cloudy July days against Penrith/Richmond's 10.7 clear. Westerly flow can build wave cloud over the range, and the mean 3 pm temperature is only 8°C, so dress for it. If the forecast is poor, the drop to Penrith (3 min 46 s) is often clearer.

The Blue Mountains will be one of the biggest eclipse-tourism draws in NSW, but the Great Western Hwy is a single corridor. Expect gridlock on Saturday morning; take the train if you can.

Common questions

Schools, councils and events

Because 22 July 2028 is a Saturday, schools from Glenbrook and Springwood up to Katoomba, Blackheath and Mount Victoria will need to give out glasses and teach eclipse safety by Friday 21 July 2028. Councils, clubs, venues and accommodation hosts in both the upper and lower mountains should plan on one certified pair for every person at a viewing event. The Blue Mountains has about 78,000 residents and will be one of the biggest eclipse-tourism draws in NSW, so expect stock to run short in the final weeks. Bulk cartons, fundraising boxes of 20 to 250 pairs, and custom-branded glasses from 500 units (with an artwork proof before printing) are all available.

• Bulk & wholesale
• Custom-branded glasses
• School & club fundraising
• Eclipse safety plan for schools

Nearby guides

• Katoomba eclipse guide
• Penrith eclipse guide
• The Hawkesbury eclipse guide
• Orange eclipse guide
• The whole NSW path eclipse guide
• 2028 eclipse times across Australia
• Interactive eclipse map

← Back to the 2028 eclipse guide