Lake Hillier

Lake Hillier is a permanently-pink lake on Middle Island in the Recherche Archipelago, off Cape Arid, east of Esperance.

Spectacular Lake Hillier is best accessed by a scenic flight (60 minutes/$350-2025 prices). Tourist boat trips to Middle Island are also available.

(or any island in the Archipelago other than Woody Island).

The best time to see the lake is in the period May to December.

Permits to land on the island, nine kilometres south of Cape Arid, are required from the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions.

Pink Lake Esperance (Lake Spencer)

Lake Hillier is is often confused with the not-pink Pink Lake in Esperance  (Lake Spencer) – which is a great disappointment to the many tourists who flock to its shores only to read a signboard that explains why it is no longer pink. One could be excused for believing that tourism authorities allow this misunderstanding to prevail.

Southern Ocean Road

There are pink lakes on Southern Ocean Road – virtually unknown except to the cogniscenti.

This unsealed road is quite suitable for 2WD vehicles when dry. It runs 50 kilometres from just east of Hopetoun to Springdale Road in Jerdacuttup.

Lake McDonnell

Lake McDonnell, a short diversion from the iconic Eyre Highway drive, is 13 kilometres south of Penong in South Australia. Though spectacular when conditions are right, it is not always pink. Its colour is dependent on numerous environmental factors.

Hutt Lagoon

Given that Hutt Lagoon is easily accessible (a sealed road on the way to Kalbarri with a convenient lookout/parking area) it is clearly the ‘best value pink lake’ in Australia.

Hutt Lagoon is more consistently pink than the other ‘pink lakes’ of Australia.

Pink Lake, Dimboola, Victoria

Victoria’s Dimboola Pink Lake is six kilometres north-west of Dimboola along the Western Highway. The vibrant pink colour derives from a salt tolerant alga living in the crust of salt that covers the lake. Colour varies throughout the seasons and is generally most striking after rain events. Extended dry spells cause the pink to fade completely to white and burst back into colour following the next rain.

Yorketown, South Australia

 

Lake Eyre (South Australia)

Australia’s largest salt lake, which occasionally turns pink when flooded.

Lake Bumbunga, South Australia

A picturesque pink lake near Adelaide, known for its changing shades of pink.

Rest of the World

Pink lakes can be found in Canada, Mexico, Senegal and Spain.

The Science Behind Pink Lakes

Each pink lake has its own unique characteristics, often influenced by factors such as algae, bacteria, rainfall, salt levels, and sunshine/time of day.

 

 

© Kim Epton 2025
503 words, yy photographs, zz images.

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