Lake Hillier is a saline lake on the edge of Middle Island, it is particularly notable for its bright pink color. The lake is about 600 meters long, and is surrounded by a rim of sand and dense woodland of paperbark and eucalyptus trees. A narrow strip of sand dunes covered by vegetation separates it from the blue Southern Ocean.
The shallow briny lake is rimmed with white salt and encircled by dark green forests of eucalyptus and paperbark trees. A narrow strip of white dunes and sand separates the lake from the ocean’s deep waters. The first reported sighting dates back to the journals of Matthew Flinders, a British navigator and hydrographer in 1802. Flinders had climbed Middle Island’s highest peak (now known as Flinders Peak) to survey the surrounding waters when he came across this remarkable pink lake.
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The reason for the lake’s color is still under investigation. A possible explanation according to some scientists involves the low nutrient concentrations and different types of bacteria and algae. Scientists speculate that the color comes from a dye created by bacteria that lives in the salt crusts. The pink coloration could also be from a sea salt and nahcolite (sodium bicarbonate) deposit reaction or red halophilic bacteria in the salt crusts.
The amazing attribute of this lake is that water taken from this lake still retains its hue even stored in another container and despite its unusual color, it has no adverse effect on humans.
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