Australia is a Pandora’s box when it comes to diversity, the strangest species in the world live there, it is to be expected that its landscapes are equally amazing and different from what we are usually used to. Lake Hiller is precisely the epitome that perfectly portrays this idea, as it seems that it was its entrails that led to the birth of the color pink.
The Pink Beauty of Lake Hillier
Lake Hillier is located on Middle Island, the largest of all the islands and islets that make up the Recherche archipelago off the southern coast of Australia. The lake is a rarity in the middle of a natural paradise, its most outstanding feature from the moment it is spotted from the air is its vibrant pink color that contrasts with the deep blue of the Indian Ocean that is located near it.
Lake Hillier seems to be not so vast compared to the immensity of the ocean that lies in front of it, but in reality, it is more than half a kilometer (600 meters) long and 250 meters wide. Its entire composition is covered by a pink hue that separates it from its sand-colored border and the green foliage of the rest of the island, where paperbark trees and eucalyptus trees live.
But undoubtedly what is most striking about Lake Hillier is the enigmatic pink coloration of its waters. It is not water similar to that of other similar lakes in the rest of the world, as it is even stronger, and there is still no clear explanation for this. Most of the pink lakes in the world obtain their coloration due to the decomposition of light and the incidence of the colors of their elements, which are usually made up of minerals high in salts. Some others maintain their pink color thanks to the algae that live inside them.
Researchers do not know with certainty what causes its peculiar tonality, but they believe that it may be due to the two previous factors. That is to say that there is not only the presence of an organism called Dunaliella salina but that this, in turn, generates that the content rich in salts produces a reddish hue that is what gives it its magic touch. Hillier’s water retains its vibrant pink even if a small amount is taken and packaged in a transparent container, which is why it is the subject of research by biologists. It is also known that there is no macroscopic ecosystem including fish, but that all forms of life in the lake are microorganisms and bacteria.
Despite the lake’s high saline composition, which exceeds that of the Dead Sea, it is safe to swim in. However, it is a natural beauty that is protected and is only visited for research purposes. For tourists, there is only the possibility to visit it by air, by helicopter ride.
Story written in Spanish by Alejandra Martínez in Ecoosfera
Here are more spots in Australia you might want to visit:
12 Apostles: The Mesmerizing Australian Rock Formations Carved by the Sea
16 Pictures That’ll Make You Fall In Love With The Outback, Australia’s Heartland
