A small Western Australian town famous for its pristine natural environment is preparing for a globally significant solar event and the hordes of people it will bring.
Up to 25,000 stargazers from all over the world will travel to Exmouth to catch a glimpse of a total solar eclipse triggered by the alignment of the moon and sun.
The town will be one of the few accessible locations on Earth where people can see the celestial event on April 20 — with up to eight times the town's population expected to make the journey.
Resident Robert Todd, who has lived in the town for 48 years, said the huge crowds would pose a unique challenge which was concerning some people.
"We've never seen the amount of people that are coming this time," he said.
"The community is not sure whether the town can handle it."
Exmouth has a population of about 3,000, and is nestled at the top of the North West Cape about 1,200 kilometres north of the state capital Perth.
It was originally built to support a nearby US military base, but in recent years has blossomed into a major tourism destination, thanks to the natural wonders of the world heritage-listed Ningaloo coast.
While large crowds of visitors have become common in Exmouth, particularly since the onset of COVID-19, Mr Todd said the short and sharp influx had residents concerned about waste, water usage and accommodation.
"They are a little bit frightened about it," he said.
"I don't think anyone really knows [what to expect] because we're not sure about the final numbers."
Shire says it's prepared
Exmouth shire president Darlene Allston has watched the tourism industry grow to unprecedented levels since she arrived 10 years ago.
However, Ms Allston said the eclipse would still represent a "huge expansion".
She said the shire had been preparing alongside the state government for years in advance, and felt the town was well-positioned ahead of the event, even if there were a few nerves in the community.Ms Allston listed a temporary 6 million litre water tank, an overflow campground which alone could hold 6,000 people, and upgrades to telecommunication infrastructure as some of the key measures taken.
"I'd like to think this is going to be part of Exmouth's history," she said.
"It's just going to be an amazing time for the town."
Care for environment
Uncertainty about how many visitors will arrive has been a challenging aspect of preparing for the event.The current estimate is 25,000 people, but guesses have varied, and authorities previously thought up to 50,000 people would descend on the town.
Anne Roessler, who owns and operates two major hospitality venues in Exmouth, is tackling this issue head on.
She has faced questions about how much extra staff, equipment and food is needed, but will not fully know the answers until after the crowds have started to arrive.
"You really just go with the flow," she said.
"I feel excited and nervous, but mostly excited. We are ready."
Ms Roessler was born in Germany and first visited Exmouth as a backpacker, where she "fell in love" with the untouched environment.
She said one of the highest priorities needed to be ensuring visitors respected the ecosystem, and that it was left in the same state after the eclipse.
"It's really nice to see that there's a bit of noise around Exmouth and a bit of excitement," she said.
"Now it's super important that we take the right steps to actually keep it pristine."
Mr Todd also said preservation was crucial, but said he was optimistic about the impact the event would have on the town.
"Exmouth's survived a lot worse than that," he said.
"It's going to be a quite exciting time, as long as we remember why the people are here and we look after them, and they look after us."
