Hunter Valley total solar eclipse, 22 July 2028

Times (AEST)

Pokolbin: eclipse begins 12:40:18 pm · maximum 2:01:25 pm · eclipse ends 3:14:48 pm. Totality in Broke begins at about 2:00:37 pm, in Wollombi about 2:00:08 pm.

Where the edge is

The edge of the path cuts straight through Hunter wine country. It comes up from Caves Beach and Swansea on the coast, passes Wangi Wangi and Toronto, runs under Cessnock and through Pokolbin, then heads between Broke and Singleton towards Denman and Merriwa. Lovedale, Rothbury and the Pokolbin cellar doors are on the north side, where the eclipse peaks at about 99 to 99.99%: no corona and no stars. On the south side totality builds quickly, then more gradually: about 50 s at 2 km inside, 75 s at 5 km, 1 min 40 s at 10 km and about 2½ min at 22 km. That is why Broke gets about a minute and Laguna close to two and a half. Mount View sits about 1 km outside, so don't rely on it.

Where to watch in Hunter Valley

Roads and timing

Broke Road and Wollombi Road will be busy from late morning. Leave by 11 am to be set up before the eclipse starts at about 12:40 pm, and expect slow traffic back to Pokolbin after 3:15 pm.

Staying in Pokolbin?

Pokolbin's main wine strip sits 3 to 7 km north of the edge, so you'll see 99.96 to 99.99% from your cellar door, not totality. Then drive 20 to 40 minutes south-west. Broke Fordwich (about 1 min 03 s), Millfield (about 1 min 16 s), Wollombi (about 2 min 12 s) and Laguna (about 2 min 28 s) are all in the path.

How long totality lasts around the Hunter Valley

Times AEST, computed from JPL DE421 lunar ephemeris and cross-checked against NASA/Espenak Besselian elements. Broke and Mount Bright are close to the edge, so their figures could be out by 10 s or more.

What you'll see from Hunter Valley, minute by minute

All times below are AEST, taken at Hunter Valley Gardens in Pokolbin.

1. 12:40:18 pmfirst contact. Through your glasses, the Moon takes a small bite out of the Sun's right-hand edge. From here on, glasses stay on in Pokolbin.
2. About 1:31 pmthe Sun is about 55% covered. Sunlight on the vineyard rows looks flat and a little metallic, and the gaps between leaves throw crescent-shaped spots onto the ground.
3. About 1:46 pmabout 79% covered. The light across the vines feels more like late afternoon than lunchtime, the air cools and birds around the gardens may go quiet.
4. About 1:56 pmabout 95% covered. The Moon's shadow is moving in at more than 4,000 km/h, and the north-western sky over the valley starts to darken.
5. 2:01:25 pmmaximum eclipse, 100.0% covered. From the Gardens lawns a hair-thin sliver of Sun is still showing, so it stays dim daylight rather than night, and your glasses stay on. Look south-west towards Millfield and Wollombi, inside the path: that part of the sky may be visibly darker.
6. 3:14:48 pmlast contact. Nothing of the Moon is left on the Sun, and the eclipse is over. Expect slow traffic back into Pokolbin from here.

Where to look

Just after 2 pm the Sun is about 30° up in the north-north-west, on a bearing of 327° true, whether you are at Broke for totality or still in Pokolbin. That is a third of the way up the sky, so a long view is not needed, only a clear patch of sky on that side. On the open valley floor at Broke Fordwich, the farmland at Millfield and Laguna, or the open lawns at Hunter Valley Gardens, that is easy. Beside a cellar door, check the building and any trees to your NNW: each one hides the Sun if you stand closer to it than about 1.8 times its height. A 10 m tree needs at least 18 m of clearance, and the same rule puts a 20-storey (60 m) tower at 110 m.

Picking a spot at a winery? Stand back from anything to your NNW by at least 1.8× its own height: 18 m from a 10 m tree, 110 m from a 20-storey tower.

Will it be clear?

Weather figures come from the Cessnock (Nulkaba) station, in the heart of the valley. An average July there has 7.7 clear days and 8.1 cloudy ones, and the mean 3 pm temperature is 16.6°C, so dress for a cool afternoon outdoors.

Pokolbin's accommodation will be full of eclipse visitors who discover on the morning that they're 3 to 7 km outside the path. Expect a rush south-west to Broke and Wollombi, so venues inside the path should plan ticketed events.

For wineries and venues

Venues inside the path, such as Broke Fordwich, the Wollombi Valley and Laguna, have a rare drawcard: a ticketed long lunch with totality in the middle. Pokolbin venues can sell eclipse packages that include transport south for the main event. Either way, plan parking, toilets and glasses for every guest.

Common questions

Glasses on for the whole eclipse

If you stay in Pokolbin, the rule is simple: certified ISO 12312-2 glasses on from 12:40:18 pm until 3:14:48 pm, because the Sun never fully disappears there. If you drive to Broke, Millfield, Wollombi or Laguna, the rule is the same: wear them for the whole eclipse, from first contact to last contact, including totality, which at Broke lasts about a minute. Sunglasses, smoked glass and homemade filters are not safe, and a camera, binoculars or telescope needs a proper solar filter on the front before it is pointed at the Sun.

Schools, councils and events

Saturday 22 July 2028 is a weekend, so Hunter Valley schools will need to send glasses home and run their safety lessons on Friday 21 July 2028 or earlier. For wineries, Hunter Valley Gardens and accommodation hosts in Pokolbin, Lovedale and Rothbury, the planning number is one certified pair per guest, and because none of those areas gets totality, guests will wear them for the full two and a half hours. Venues in Broke Fordwich, the Wollombi Valley and Laguna need the same count, since their guests keep glasses on for everything except the one to two and a half minutes of totality. Cessnock and Singleton councils and local clubs can order the same way. We supply bulk cartons, fundraising boxes of 20 to 250 pairs for schools and clubs, and custom-branded glasses from 500 units, with an artwork proof before printing.

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

Nearby guides

• Cessnock eclipse guide
• Singleton eclipse guide
• Maitland eclipse guide
• Newcastle eclipse guide
• 2028 eclipse times across Australia
• Interactive eclipse map

← Back to the 2028 eclipse guide