The Exmouth community in Western Australia has begun planning for up to 50,000 visitors who will descend on the town in four years time chasing a short glimpse of a rare hybrid solar eclipse.

Key points: On April 20, 2023, at about 11:27am the sun, moon and the earth's discs will all align

On April 20, 2023, at about 11:27am the sun, moon and the earth's discs will all align The best viewing point will be between the Exmouth townsite and Learmonth Airport in WA

The best viewing point will be between the Exmouth townsite and Learmonth Airport in WA Up to 50,000 visitors are predicted to inundate the tiny town of 2,700

Eclipse chasers are set to travel from around the world on April 20, 2023, to be in a small spot on the Exmouth cape which is one of few accessible vantage points globally to view the 1 minute, 16 second event.

The eclipse —where the sun, moon and the Earth's discs will all align — is so anticipated that many accommodation providers have already booked out, while others are looking to capitalise on the event.

Carol Redford, who founded Astrotourism WA in 2018 and is the organiser of Stargazers Club WA, said while every year there were eclipses where the moon partially or totally covered the sun, the one in 2023 is a hybrid.

"When the moon is just at the right distance that it only just covers the disc of the sun, what happens is the light that is coming from the sun still comes through all the mountains and craters on the side of the moon," she said.

"It gives this effect of a diamond necklace."

The hybrid solar eclipse is expected to occur about 11:27am, and the best viewing point will be between the Exmouth townsite and Learmonth Airport.

Australia's Coral Coast chief executive David O'Malley said there was potential for a logistical nightmare as hundreds and hundreds of people in vehicles and buses vied for the best viewing spots off the road side, but added it was good that organisations were already starting to plan.

One of the many camping sites in Madras, Oregon during the Great American Eclipse in 2017. ( Supplied: Carol Redford )

It is expected that a minimum of 5,000 people would be in town on the day of the event, with others saying a minimum of 10,000 visitors are expected.

"The problem is no one actually knows," Mr O'Malley said.

"They are saying a minimum of 5000, but it could be up to 50,000.

"But even 5,000 [people] creates enormous problems — not just for accommodation but for feeding people and for management of the crowds.

"It's quite remarkable when you think an event is four years away and people are actually inquiring and actually making bookings. This is how rare this event is."

Preparations begin

Exmouth has a population of about 2,700 and pushes out to 10,000 people during peak tourist season, which will also coincide with the astronomical event.

So huge is the event expected to be, that the Shire of Exmouth is lobbying the State and Federal governments to upgrade the Minilya-Exmouth Road — the only access road to Exmouth — to ensure it can cope with the influx.

Chief executive Cameron Woods told the ABC the council was looking at appealing for Infrastructure WA funding as well as federal Building Better Regions funding to have the road upgraded with dual lanes added.

Mr Woods said considerations were also being made for the clearing of land near the vantage points as well as questions being asked over whether former mining camp accommodation could be relocated to the town for the event.

"There are a lot of temporary structures elsewhere in the state that could be mobilised," he said.

"The ablution blocks … the catering messes that come with that.

"If we're going to go to that amount of effort obviously we want to try and attract people into the area for a prolonged period rather than an overnight period."

Even without an eclipse, the night sky can prove a dramatic photography subject. ( Supplied: Astrotourism WA )

Eclipse chasers

Carol Redford travelled to the United States in 2017 to see The Great American Eclipse in the town of Madras, Oregon, where she said the population swelled from 10,000 to 100,000 for a "normal solar eclipse which happens regularly".

"Eclipse-chasers travel obsessively to see these things," Ms Redford said.

"It is something we definitely have to help Exmouth through.

"There could be tens of thousands of people that want to be in Exmouth for this eclipse so just talking about things like having enough food and water … camping sites [and] all sorts of logistical issues to work through.

Carol Redford, just outside Madras, Oregon in the August of 2017. ( Supplied: Carol Redford )

"The world will be watching WA at this moment in time and we have this amazing opportunity to say 'if you love star gazing or astronomy, WA is such a great destination'."

The eclipse will be visible in parts of WA, the Indonesian province of West Papua, and East Timor, with many spots only getting partial viewing of the eclipse.

People in Exmouth will witness the totality of the eclipse, with Barrow Island — home to multinational Chevron's LNG operations — the only better spot globally to see the sun, the moon and the earth's discs align.

The hybrid eclipse, of which the next one will be in 2031, is also expected to benefit the Western Australian economy.