Almost Total: Towns Just Outside the 2028 Eclipse Path

The short version. Anything below 100% is a partial eclipse, so everyone needs certified eclipse glasses for the whole eclipse, from first contact to last. Coonabarabran, Cessnock and Birdsville get over 99.9% but no totality. Newcastle gets 99.7%, Canberra 96.1% and Alice Springs 95.3%. If you want totality, check your exact address on the eclipse map and drive well inside the path, not just over the line.

Why is 99.9% not the same as totality?

Totality only happens inside the path, where the Moon covers the Sun completely. Outside it, however close, a sliver of the Sun is always left uncovered. Our 2028 eclipse guide puts it plainly: just outside the path it never gets dark like it does inside, and the Sun's corona shows only while the Sun is completely covered.

That sliver matters for your eyes. ARPANSA, the Australian Government's radiation safety agency, says never to try to observe a total, partial or annular eclipse with the naked eye. It warns that eclipse light can burn the retina in a matter of seconds, that the retina feels no pain so there is no warning, and that the damage can be permanent. A 99.9% eclipse is a partial eclipse, so the same rules apply as at 50%.

Our rule is the most cautious one: certified eclipse glasses stay on for the whole eclipse, at any percentage, everywhere in Australia. Inside the path, too. Our guide to why you need eclipse glasses explains what an eclipse can do to your eyes.

What does "per cent covered" mean?

It is the share of the Sun's disc the Moon covers at maximum eclipse, the middle of the event in your town. Before and after that moment the share is lower. At 99.7% in Newcastle, the eclipse still runs for about two and a half hours from start to finish, and all of it is partial.

Chart of towns just outside the 2028 eclipse path: Coonabarabran over 99.9% of the Sun covered, Birdsville 99.9%, Newcastle 99.7%, Windorah 99%, Halls Creek 98.3%, Canberra 96.1%, Alice Springs 95.3%, compared with totality in Bedourie, Mudgee and Orange — The almost-total zone on 22 July 2028. Only towns inside the path reach totality; even at 99.9% the eclipse is partial and glasses stay on. Calculated from NASA eclipse elements. Chart: Aura Sight.

The chart shows the share of the Sun covered at maximum eclipse in towns just outside the path, next to three towns inside it. Only the towns inside reach 100% and get totality. Everyone else, even at 99.9%, has a partial eclipse.

Which towns are just outside the path?

These towns get 89% to over 99.9% of the Sun covered. The fourth column is the straight-line distance from town to the nearest point inside the path, from our calculator. Roads will be longer.

Towns just outside the path of totality on 22 July 2028: share of the Sun covered at maximum eclipse, local time of maximum, and the nearest totality.
Town	Sun covered	Maximum	Path starts (straight line)	Inside the path nearby
Cessnock, NSW	Over 99.9%	2:01pm AEST	About 5 km south	Wollombi and Laguna, 1 to 2.5 min
Coonabarabran, NSW	Over 99.9%	1:58pm AEST	About 4 km south	Siding Spring Observatory 1m 48s; Mendooran 3m 32s
Birdsville, Qld	99.9%	1:37pm AEST	About 5 km north	Bedourie 4m 27s
Singleton, NSW	99.8%	2:01pm AEST	About 15 km south-west	Broke, about 1 min
Newcastle, NSW	99.7%	2:02pm AEST	About 24 km south	Catherine Hill Bay 1m 13s; The Entrance 2m 43s
Muswellbrook, NSW	99.7%	2:00pm AEST	About 24 km south-west	Bylong Valley Way, 2 to 3 min
Nowra, NSW	99.6%	2:00pm AEST	About 24 km north-east	Kiama 1m 42s
Maitland, NSW	99.6%	2:01pm AEST	About 25 km south-west	Wollombi and the Watagans
Parkes, NSW	99.5%	1:56pm AEST	About 29 km north-east	Wellington 3m 46s
Walgett, NSW	99.5%	1:55pm AEST	About 33 km south-west	Coonamble 2m 47s
Cobar, NSW	99.3%	1:52pm AEST	About 42 km north-east	Nyngan 3m 17s
Windorah, Qld	99.0%	1:43pm AEST	About 52 km south-west	Thargomindah 4m 15s
Goulburn, NSW	98.6%	1:59pm AEST	About 67 km north-east	Wollongong 2m 52s
Halls Creek, WA	98.3%	11:01am AWST	About 82 km north-north-east	Kununurra 2m 52s
Tamworth, NSW	96.8%	2:00pm AEST	About 123 km south-west	Mudgee 3m 54s
Canberra, ACT	96.1%	1:58pm AEST	About 147 km north-east	Katoomba 3m 29s
Alice Springs, NT	95.3%	12:53pm ACST	About 182 km north-east	Barrow Creek 1m 32s; Wauchope 4m 55s
Port Macquarie, NSW	93.6%	2:03pm AEST	About 219 km south-west	Gosford 3m 16s
Mount Isa, Qld	93.4%	1:33pm AEST	About 232 km south-south-west	Bedourie 4m 27s
Broken Hill, NSW	89.4%	1:15pm ACST	About 361 km north-east	Bourke 4m 05s

Times are to the minute for the town centre. Broken Hill keeps South Australian time (ACST). For every capital city and the full list of towns inside the path, see our 2028 eclipse guide; for the eclipses after 2028, see the next solar eclipse in Australia.

Should you drive into the path?

If you can, yes: the step from 99.9% to totality is the whole point of a total eclipse, and only the path gets it. Three things decide whether the trip is worth it.

Check your exact address first. The path edge can cut through a single town or city. Lake Macquarie is split in half, and Cessnock town misses out while Millfield, Paxton and Wollombi are inside. Put your address and your destination into the eclipse map.
Go deeper, not just over the line. The closer you are to the centre line, the longer totality lasts. Near the edges it drops quickly: Orange, near the southern edge, gets 2m 14s, while Mudgee, closer to the centre, gets 3m 54s. Swansea, on the northern edge at Lake Macquarie, gets only about 11 seconds.
Edge figures are less certain. For places close to an edge, the real duration can differ by 10 seconds or more from the calculation. A few kilometres further in buys you margin.

The longest totality in Australia is 5 minutes 10 seconds, in the central Kimberley in WA. In the more accessible towns, Thargomindah gets 4m 15s, Bourke 4m 05s, Dubbo 3m 50s and Sydney 3m 48s. Town guides such as Dubbo, Orange, Bathurst, Bourke and Sydney list local times and spots.

Plan to arrive early and have a backup spot further in. In the Hunter alone, hundreds of thousands of people live just north of the edge, and small roads near the line will be busy on the day.

What this means for shops, schools and events outside the path

Towns just outside the path are not out of the eclipse. Everyone who stays gets a deep partial eclipse lasting about two and a half to three hours, and everyone who drives in needs glasses too. So the demand for glasses is the same as inside the path.

Households. One pair per person, for the whole eclipse. The family eclipse kit has four certified pairs and a printed viewing guide for A$19.25; single pairs are A$5.45 including GST.
Schools. The eclipse falls on a Saturday, so a pair sent home with each student covers the day. See eclipse glasses for schools and our eclipse safety plan for schools. Fundraising boxes let P&Cs sell glasses to families.
Councils and events. A viewing event in a 99% town still needs a pair for every guest. See eclipse glasses for events, the event checklist and how many glasses to order.
Shops, servos and visitor centres. Travellers heading for the path pass through near-path towns. Wholesale comes in counter displays of 50, and custom-branded glasses start from 500 units. Tourism operators can read our guide for operators.

Our glasses are made by Rainbow Symphony, a manufacturer on the American Astronomical Society's reputable vendors list, tested to ISO 12312-2:2015 by ICS Laboratories, and every pair carries a QR batch certificate. See how our glasses are certified and where to buy safe glasses.

FAQ

Is 99.9% almost as good as totality?

No. At 99.9% a sliver of the Sun is still uncovered, so it never gets dark the way it does inside the path and the corona does not show. Only the path of totality gets totality. Glasses stay on for the whole eclipse.

Do I need eclipse glasses if my town gets 99% covered?

Yes. A 99% eclipse is a partial eclipse, and ARPANSA says never to try to observe a partial eclipse with the naked eye. Wear certified ISO 12312-2 eclipse glasses for the whole eclipse.

Will Newcastle get a total eclipse?

No. Newcastle is just outside the northern edge and gets 99.7% of the Sun covered at 2:02pm AEST. The nearest totality is about 24 km south, around Lake Macquarie and the Central Coast: Catherine Hill Bay gets 1m 13s and The Entrance 2m 43s.

Will Canberra get a total eclipse?

No. Canberra gets 96.1% of the Sun covered at 1:58pm AEST. The path starts about 147 km north-east in a straight line; Katoomba gets 3m 29s of totality.

Does Coonabarabran get a total eclipse?

No, but only just. Coonabarabran gets over 99.9% of the Sun covered, and the path starts about 4 km south of town. Siding Spring Observatory, west of town, gets about 1m 48s, and Mendooran 3m 32s.

How far should I drive to see totality?

Further than the edge. Totality is shortest near the edges and longest near the centre line: Orange, near the southern edge, gets 2m 14s and Mudgee 3m 54s. Check your destination on the eclipse map and aim a few kilometres inside the path.

Where is the longest totality in Australia?

The central Kimberley in WA, with 5 minutes 10 seconds. Among easier-to-reach towns, Wauchope in the NT gets 4m 55s, Bedourie in Queensland 4m 27s and Bourke 4m 05s.

Glasses for everyone, whether you stay home for 99% or drive into the path: four certified pairs and a printed viewing guide for A$19.25, from NSW stock. For groups, see glasses for schools or glasses for events.

Family eclipse kit

Sources

All checked 11.11.2026.

ARPANSA (Australian Radiation Protection and Nuclear Safety Agency), Solar eclipse.
Astronomical Society of Australia, How to view the eclipse.
American Astronomical Society, Solar eclipse eye safety.
Coverage, times, straight-line distances and durations calculated from NASA (Espenak) Besselian elements for 22 July 2028, as in our eclipse map, NSW guide and town guides. Durations near a path edge can differ by 10 seconds or more.