We are going to stay on the coast for this one. I lived in Cairns for 14 months during 89-90 period. The chances of no cloud at all are slim no matter where you travel. If there is any rain in the days before the eclipse the roads further west will be slippery and present a danger to everyone travelling them.
I have looked back at the conditions over the last 5 years on that particular day and it looked as though 3 days out of 5 were clear with some mild cloud off the coast at that time of the morning. Remembering of course that any cloud build up due to the the presence of the sun is nil at that time of morning so every thing relies on the conditions the day before and over night. Our villa is right on the beach and if nothing else it will be a lovely morning event on the beach.
For those that have never seen an eclipse and want to ensure you do. Might I suggest you take a cruise further along the track. Your chances will be greater of seeing the eclipse. Land based observation is going to be 50/50 overall but a cruise will almost certainly get you a view.
BTW if it is your first eclipse forget about trying to take too many photographs. Watch the eclipse through your eyes. You miss out on so much just by looking through the view finder of the camera. Ensure you look around and experience the little things like the 360 degree sunset, the birds roosting, the look of the corona near maximum and the visible prominences and the magenta sky. Your first eclipse is the one you remember the best and wasting it by trying to get bracketted shots or fiddling with equipment is going to waste precious views. From what I have read from other eclipse chasers and from my own experience it takes 3-4 eclipses to get everything right for imaging. So why not just take the odd shot and not worry. 2 minutes goes really quickly.
Anyway, cloud or not it will once again be magical to be in the shadow of the moon. I have a good feeling again about seeing it, so maybe 3rd time is a charm. For me each time I have had a good feeling and each time we have seen the eclipse. Go figure.
