The pink water of Lake Hillier in Australia
In Australia there is Lake Hillier, a paradisiacal place, where the water seems to be painted with an intense pink color. However, recent studies have shown the real reason for this anomaly that gives the space an unreal appearance, but very attractive at the same time.
Australia’s Lake Hillier is located on Middle Island, right in the La Recherche archipelago, in western Oceania. The surface of the lake is about 600 meters long by 200 meters wide and is part of the island’s ecosystem . Although the lake is the focus of attention, it is also surrounded by lush eucalyptus and melaleuca forests. The latter is a species of plant characteristic of Australia and the continent. Although Lake Hillier is recently becoming famous among tourists, backpackers and researchers, the truth is that this place has been discovered for a long time.
Flinders encounter with Lake Hillier
Australia’s Pink Lake was discovered in 1802 by an expedition led by Captain Matthew Flinders, a British navigator who first mentioned the place in his travelogues . Upon discovering it, Flinders decided to climb to the top of the highest mountain on Middle Island to get a better view of the island and so he first visualized the lake.
The Flinders expedition lasted approximately 40 years and it was during this expedition that the first scientific information about the curious pink lake was obtained. The result of the investigations proved that the water was saturated with salt. According to scientists, there are 340 grams of salt in Lake Hillier for every liter of water, a level of salinity similar to that of the Dead Sea . Therefore, the environment is so salty that it cannot support the life of the vast majority of animals, although it can support some bacteria.
Why is Lake Hillier pink?
There are bacteria that have adapted to these salinity conditions and can live in difficult environments. Some of these are Dunaliella salina and Haloarchaea, known as extremophiles capable of living, adapting and developing in extreme conditions. This is why the bacteria began to produce a pigment known as beta-carotene, which is used to absorb sunlight and carry out photosynthesis.
Beta-carotene is red in color and is found primarily in carrots, pumpkins, and tomatoes. In this sense, it is easy to see the similarity of these vegetables with the color of the pink lake in Australia. However, there are two types of bacteria in the water , which causes two different shades of beta-carotene to mix, creating a very particular color.
How to get to know Lake Hillier?
To admire this paradisiacal place, you can take a helicopter or boat trip from the town of Esperance, which is 7 km from Lake Hillier. This city is very close to the Cabo Le Grand and Cabo Árido national parks, tourist places that you could visit all day, as long as you carry a hiking backpack with everything you need during the walk.
What is the appeal of Lake Hillier?
When visualizing Lake Hillier, many people get the impression that its consistency can be very similar to a strawberry milkshake, which is an easy association to make from its color. However, as you get closer to the lake and draw some water, you may notice that the color fades and becomes more translucent. In this sense, the pink color is more intense when you look at it from the air and see the bottom full of salt, an effect similar to the color of the ocean.
Although most know it for its pink hue, it is worth noting that Lake Hillier is surrounded by a green forest and, thanks to its proximity to the sea, which has an intense turquoise color, the landscape from the helicopter is truly exceptional.
On the other hand, despite the fact that the lake has this unusual color, it is important to note that the water is not toxic in any way , so it is possible to approach it with complete confidence and even swim in it, if allowed during the visit. In any case, the symptoms of drinking lake water are similar to those you may experience if you ingest seawater.
Pink water in other parts of the world
It is good to know that Lake Hillier is one of the largest pink lakes in the world but it is not the only one, not even in the interior of Australia, since in this country we can also find the Hutt Lagoon, located 2 kilometers north from the mouth of the famous Hutt River. In addition, in other parts of the world we can find the famous Pink Lake, like the one in Cape Verde, in Africa. Also, the Pink Lake of the Natural Park of the Lagunas de La Mata and Torrevieja, in Spain, is particularly important, which is usually very visited by people from all over the world every year.
Finally, we can say that Lake Hillier is located on a totally uninhabited island and in the middle of the jungle. Therefore, it is necessary to have a certain budget to travel to the site. However, most tourists who have visited the place believe that the experience is worth living, since it is a strange, fantastic place and, therefore, unique in the world.
