Exmouth eclipse: Eclipse fever falls over Albany with partial eclipse visible

At 11.29am on Thursday, April 20, the total solar eclipse that Exmouth, the Gascoyne and Western Australia have spent years preparing for came together, with totality lasting for 62 seconds.

It was a moment of sheer joy for the crowd of visitors and locals who gathered for the moment, which could only be seen from the Exmouth region.

About 1600 km south of the main action, Albany experienced a partial solar eclipse, the sky dimming slightly on what was otherwise a sunny day.

Starting from 10.02am and reaching its maximum at 11.29am, Albany was treated to a glimpse of the solar spectacle.

A few keen stargazers took to the Mt Melville lookout tower to witness the display from a safe distance.

Lance Gill and Andrew Lambert used a home-made pinhole camera to see projections of the sun’s shadow on rocks at the lookout’s base.

“It’s nice to be able to stop and acknowledge these things that happen,” Mr Gill said.

“Everybody’s so busy with everything in life that we miss these sorts of moments.”

For many residents it brought back memories of the total solar eclipse on June 20, 1974, which left Albany in darkness for almost two minutes.