Sunday Special – Lake Hillier, Australia

Tucked off the southern coast of Western Australia is the Recherche Archipelago (or Bay of Isles). Found within this cluster of isles is one named Middle Island. This small parcel of land has bit of a history – pirates, whaling, salt mining and various shipwrecks through the years. Though what bring me to post about this little isle is the colour pink. Yes, pink! A popular colour indeed, however it is rarely associated with water. Water is often blue, green, murky brown or clear, not pink. Lake Hillier is pink. Very pink. Unlike some other pink lakes found in the world that change colour due to temperature, this lake stays pink. Scientists are not 100% certain why it is such a vibrant shade of pink but believe it is due dunaliella salina, algae that thrives in highly salty water. The presence of halobacteria is also believed to contribute to lake’s colour. Additionally, it has also been deemed safe for people to swim in it, however the lake is difficult to access.  There are some local boat cruises to the archipelago though I found little on access to the lake, which may be limited so as to help keep the area protected. It appears that there are helicopter tours over the lake (and I imagine that would be rather spectacular) which I saw on Trip Advisor but again, nothing too recent or in depth.  Well, whether one can visit it or not, it does seems like a cool thing to have on our earth.