A small regional town is preparing to flood in at least four times its population before a spectacular solar eclipse, with Airbnbs costing $20,000 for just a few nights.
Exmouth is located 1,270 kilometers north of Perth, Western Australia and will be one of the only places on Earth that will have a direct view of the eclipse on April 20.
About 3,000 people live in the city and the locals are preparing to receive up to 20,000 visitors.
Perth is the only state capital to fly direct to Exmouth, with return flights from other cities on the east coast costing upwards of $2,000.
Accommodation is also running out fast, with some residents taking the opportunity to rent out their homes at alarmingly high costs.
Exmouth (pictured) is about 1,270km north of Perth and will be one of the few places on Earth that will have views of the April 20 solar eclipse.
People from all over the world are expected to fly or drive to Exmouth to watch the Moon pass between the Earth and the Sun.
A Qantas round-trip from Sydney to Exmouth via Perth on April 17 starts at $1,254, while a return ticket from Melbourne the same week will set travelers back $2,371.
Qantas said that due to the busy period the cheapest seats sold out first but there were some lower direct Perth to Exmouth fares on offer.
The airline added that there was very little accommodation available in Exmouth at the time of the eclipse.
With travelers already paying thousands to get into the city, finding a place to stay is no easy feat.
Exmouth accommodation for the eclipse is hard to come by with this Airbnb-listed property for $17,000 for six nights
The homeowner said she and her family have no choice but to list it for $17,000 as they have to leave town and find somewhere else to stay.
Not available on Booking.com from 18th April to 23rd April and the local caravan park is fully booked.
Meanwhile, Airbnb only offers a few homes.
One property on the booking platform sleeps six to rent for $17,606 for six nights during eclipse week.
It has four beds, two bathrooms, and an outdoor seating area.
The homeowner told Daily Mail Australia that the reason for the exorbitant price of her house is that she, her partner and their three children will have to travel to another city and find their own accommodation.
The RAC Exmouth Cape Holiday Park is fully booked due to the eclipse
“We don’t usually live in our Airbnb, we live in it,” she said.
So I had to take my 3 kids and my husband somewhere else as well as book a place to stay.
“My house is up for reservation if someone needs it for a few days, then we’ll give all our personal belongings back to him once we’re all back.”
The house was initially advertised for $20,000 but has since been reduced to $17,000.
Other homes in the area are offered at similarly high prices.
Local resident Nicola said many in the town were anxious to get out of Exmouth to avoid chaos.
She’s advertising her four-bedroom home for five nights at $11,841.
“Residents have been encouraged to rent out their homes as an option for visitors to the eclipse and to relieve some of the pressures the city may face with this influx of tourists,” she said.
We have decided as a family that we don’t want to be in Exmouth for the eclipse as it would be pandemonium and so we will be renting out our family home.
Nicola said the reason her home was listed at $11,000 was because of all the work she needed to do on it.
We purchased bed linen, towels, nice soaps, and bedding. Now, we can’t just go to Kmart and buy cheap new home furniture we either have to order online or buy in town.
Exmouth resident Nicola is offering her home for five nights for $11,000. She said she was worried the town would not be able to handle the influx of visitors
“Shipping is expensive, takes forever, and so does every store in town.”
She also said that the cost of air conditioning and insurance to rent her home added to the financial stress.
“For someone like me, renting out their family home is no small exercise, so the payoff has to be good,” she said.
“I don’t really care if the house is rented out or not to be honest, but if someone rents it out, they’ll be in for a nice home and I’m sure they’ll have a great stay.”
But Nicola said she worried the small town would be able to handle the huge number of guests flocking to it, claiming that many other locals had been moving out and renting out their homes all week.
“The city can’t handle the July school holidays so the eclipse will be the next level,” she said.
“I’m sure it would be a great event and the county has done a lot of work but simply put; Exmouth is a small outback and they don’t have the resources to deal with it.
Exmouth residents wishing to rent their homes must pay an application fee of $35.
Darlene Alston, chairwoman of the Shire of Exmouth, said local businesses in the town were gearing up to prepare for the eclipse.
A camping area with over 1,000 sites has been set up for campers and those living in RVs, while a six million liter water tank has also been installed.
“The business is generally on the ball in terms of logistics, given that this is our prime tourist time anyway,” Alston said.
Exmouth has seen a tourism boom in recent years thanks to the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Coast, where visitors can swim with whale sharks.
“We’ve done everything we can to accommodate people but we recommend that if there are things you can’t live without like medicine, it’s a good idea to stock them up before you come in.”
Alston said about 50,000 people were expected to travel to the area, which includes as far south as Caernarfon, about 3.5 hours away, and 20,000 are due in Exmouth.
I’m definitely excited. “You will be part of our history,” she said.
“One thing I would say is to people thinking of coming – don’t wait.”
Exmouth has seen a tourism boom in recent years thanks to the World Heritage-listed Ningaloo Coast, where visitors can swim with whale sharks.
The eclipse will peak in Exmouth at around 11.32am on 20 April.
Many other events will take place throughout the week in the city.
