Lake Hillier

Australia · pink water · salt lake · nature mystery

Strikingly pink color. Lake Hillier is famous for its bright pink water, which looks almost unreal. The pink comes from algae and bacteria that love salty water and create a natural dye called carotenoid.

Super salty water. The lake is saline, meaning it contains a lot of salt, kind of like the ocean but even saltier in some spots. This makes it one of Australia's most unusual bodies of water.

Island location. Lake Hillier sits on Middle Island, which is the biggest island in a group called the Recherche Archipelago off the south coast of Western Australia. A thin strip of land separates the pink lake from the Southern Ocean.

Ocean barrier. Instead of being inland like many lakes, Hillier has only a narrow sandy shore between it and the Southern Ocean. Despite being so close to the ocean, the lake stays separate and maintains its own salty environment.

Remote location. The lake is in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia, making it somewhat hard to reach. This isolation has helped keep the lake and its unique ecosystem special and protected.