WA town of Exmouth gets ready for thousands of visitors as best place to see total solar eclipse

A small Australian resort town is bracing for an influx of thousands of stargazers three months from now after an unexpected phone call from the US hints at a rare phenomenon heading their way.

Exmouth, at the tip of Western Australia’s North Western Cape, will be the best place in the world to view this year’s total solar eclipse.

At 11:27am on April 20, the path of totality will skim the tip of Western Australia on a 40km-wide track near Exmouth, making it the most accessible place on Earth to watch the spectacle of totality. 62 seconds.

Home to 2,806 residents, the Exmouth Shire estimates that up to 50,000 visitors could descend on the region, including surrounding coastal towns 300km away.

Local business owner Steve Riley admits the town isn’t ready yet, despite a US woman tipping off a trailer park operator in 2020.

“He got a call from a girl in the US who said, ‘I want to rent your whole caravan park for a week, what’s your number? Give me a price,'” Riley told Daily Mail Australia.

‘At the time no one had any idea and didn’t listen because people come to Exmouth all the time. It is a tourist city and we do it well.

Mr Riley finally realized just how big the phenomenon would be a year ago when he participated in a Q&A session via Zoom with Tourism Western Australia and international tour operators.

The solar phenomenon will occur in the middle of the April school holidays and the whale shark swimming season in the town.

It comes just months after Exmouth’s population swelled to a record 20,000 during the July school holidays last year after the state’s borders reopened.

“It’s the biggest event Exmouth has ever had, so it’s going to be crazy,” Riley said.

‘We just have to roll the dice and see what happens. This is pre-planning.

Exmouth will be the best place in the world to view the total solar eclipse on April 20

Mr. Riley’s fishing and tackle business, which he also rents out and sets up campsites – has been inundated with inquiries from all over the world.

“We got bookings for a group of 10 astronomers from Chile, a reporter from New York, along with groups coming from Japan and all over Europe,” he said.

He admits that pre-planning for the event and dealing with government agencies hasn’t been easy and the city is still trying to catch up post-Covid-19.

“The council had to build two huge water tanks, otherwise the city would have run out of water,” Mr Riley said.

“There will be trucks doing additional garbage and waste collection services throughout the week.”

“Food and beverage companies are bringing in additional containers and refrigerated trucks for storage.”

“There is talk that once the city reaches full capacity, the road will be blocked and only those with accommodation will be allowed in.”

Portable cell phone towers have also been installed.

The Western Australian government has invested the last two years and invested $21 million to convert the world heritage listed Ningaloo Marine Park into a viewing and camping site for visitors.

With a population of just 2,800, up to 50,000 visitors could arrive in Exmouth in April.

Local businesses began receiving inquiries about the rare phenomenon three years ago (pictured is the total solar eclipse of the Union Glacier in Antarctica in 2021)

A three-day ‘Dark Sky Festival’ in Exmouth will include stargazing, science and astronomy activities, music and ‘unique dining opportunities’.

“Observers can expect to see the bright disk of the Sun slowly being covered by the Moon’s silhouette to produce a waning solar crescent,” said Gravity Discovery Center astronomer Rick Tonello.

Qantas still has seats on flights to Exmouth in the week leading up to the solar eclipse, while Riley said there are still vacancies for accommodation in the city, despite being very full.

‘If you’re coming, book your accommodation now,’ he said.

‘Once you have a place to stay, the rest is easy.’

For stargazers who get lost or can’t make it to Exmouth, Coral Bay will experience a 99 percent partial eclipse, while further south Geraldton and Perth will see an 80 and 70 percent eclipse respectively.

Local business owners say the total solar eclipse will be the biggest event ever seen in Exmouth