From champagne to candy, with rose and bubblegum in between, is it any wonder we love a pink lake? With the right balance of salt, sun and some hardworking micro-organisms, here are the lakes with the hottest hues.
LAKE MACDONNELL, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
If you want to tackle driving the Nullarbor Plain, prepare to hear stories of the 1256 kilometre-long, achingly boring drive across southern Australia. But just an hour west of Ceduna, where the plain officially starts, a left turn and a 10-minute drive leads you to a rainbow of lakes, including the watermelon-pink Lake MacDonnell. For those whose colour preferences stretch further than simply pink, it's match by a blue lake and a green lake of similarly eye-popping tones. Happily for photographers, a perfectly straight road cuts between them, creating fabulous, made-for-social-media snaps of vivid pink on one side of the road, and turquoise or green on the other. The road ends at renowned surf spot Cactus Beach, at the eastern edge of the Great Australian Bight. See southaustralia.com
LAKE TYRRELL, VICTORIA
Photo: Getty
Water meets sky: vast washes of candy-coloured skies meet the soft pink waters of Lake Tyrrell, making it a magnet for photographers. In pre-COVID times, the 120,000-year-old lake was better known in China than in Australia, but the secret is out locally now. Best visited at sunrise or sunset, the state's largest salt lake has also become known as a site for stellar stargazing, thanks to the Mallee region's clear, unpolluted skies. There's a viewing platform at Sea Lake, four hours' north of Melbourne. "Through the day, it's a salt pan, but at early morning, it's absolutely gorgeous," says Julie Pringle, who harvests the salt for her soft, pink gourmet salt flakes, sold through various businesses in Sea Lake or Swan Hill. See wimmeramalleetourism.com.au
LAKE HILLIER, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Photo: Tourism WA
Seen those drone photos of strips of rose pink and sparkling turquoise? Chances are that's Lake Hillier, turning on all its charm. Separated from the Indian Ocean by the slimmest strip of land, Australia's best-known pink lake is also its least accessible: it's found on Middle Island, off the south coast of Western Australia. To get there, it's a 7½-hour drive (or a 90-minute flight) from Perth to Esperance, then a scenic flight over the island. New helicopter tours by Esperance-based HeliSpirit can touch down for a guided walk to the viewing platform, but don't pack your white dress for that classic/clichéd white-dress-in-pink-lake influencer shot – there's no swimming in this 600-metre, pristine pond. The flights then sweep across the glorious Archipelago of the Recherche and Lucky Bay, famed for its kangaroo population and its rivalry with NSW's Hyams Beach for the whitest sand in all the land. See australiasgoldenoutback.com
LAKE GRASSMERE, NEW ZEALAND
Photo: Alamy
While you're probably lurking around the South Island's Marlborough region for its scenic Sound and sauvignon blancs, it also claims a pink lake, a 30-minute drive south of Blenheim. Lucky Marlborough gets the most sunny days in the entire country, and as the summer rolls on, Lake Grassmere/Kapara Te Hau's pink tones deepen, contrasting with the sparkling white salt mounds that are blown onshore by the sea winds. Sections of the lake are divided into salt ponds, for a rainbow of pinkness. To stay nearby, Blenheim's former Public Trust Office Building, built in the Art Deco style in the 1920s, is now the 11-room Hotel d'Urville, from NZ$180. See hoteldurville.co.nz, newzealand.com
MURRAY SUNSET NATIONAL PARK, VICTORIA
Photo: iStock
There are not just one, but four pink lakes in this national park in the Mallee region, which touches the South Australian border in Victoria's extreme north-west. Lake Crosbie is the biggest, while Lake Hardy is the pinkest and therefore wins the popularity contest as the most photographed. The four salt lakes – Crosbie, Becking, Kenyon and Hardy – are within walking distance of each other, and each has a short, well-marked walking trail around it, as well as an outdoor Salt Museum, which focuses on the region's salt-mining history. There are 11 free campgrounds in the national park, including the main campsite at Lake Crosbie, and another at nearby Lake Becking, both accessible by 2WDs. Otherwise, the Shearers' Quarters is a historic, corrugated iron four-bedroom cottage that sleeps 10, from $106.60 per room. The lakes are at their pinkest in late summer: tie them in with a visit to the nearby Silo Art trail. To reach them, turn off at Linga on the Mallee Highway. See parks.vic.gov.au
LAKE BUMBUNGA, SOUTH AUSTRALIA
Photo: Olivia Reynolds
Salt meets wine at South Australia's most accessible lake, which is conveniently located just beside the Clare Valley, famed for its fresh, dry rieslings. The best time of year to see the lake is in spring or autumn, when it turns bubble-gum pink. "In the middle of summer, it's a totally dry, white salt pan, like walking on crunchy cornflakes, and when it's too deep, the lake's not that pink," says Michael Seeliger, who owns the hand-built Tiny Pink House on the edge of the lake. "But all year round, it has potential. If there's even just two centimetres of water in the lake, you can see the most beautiful mirror image when the lake is still." Lake Bumbunga is just over 90 minutes from Adelaide. Stays at the Pink Lake Tiny House cost from $270 a night, two people. See pinklaketinyhouse.com.au, southaustralia.com
PINK LAKE, VICTORIA
Photo: iStock
HUTT LAGOON, WESTERN AUSTRALIA
Photo: Jarrad Seng/WA Tourism
Red earth and pink water collide on Western Australia's Coral Coast for a cacophony of colours. Yes, you can fly over the lake from Geraldton or Kalbarri, or jump on a buggy tour from Port Gregory. But you can also simply cruise down nearby George Grey Drive, which hugs the lagoon's fringe, and leap onto the conveniently placed viewing platform or climb the sand dunes at the southern end of the lake for kaleidoscopic views. Past the nearby fishing town of Port Gregory, 4WD tracks run up the slim strip of land that separates the ocean and the super-salty lake. Happily, the pink hues are a sure thing all year round, though its vibrancy varies from milkshake-pink to deeper tones. See australiascoralcoast.com
WESTGATE PARK, MELBOURNE
Photo: Kylie McLaughlin
To get your Barbie-pink lakes hit without leaving the city limits, all you've got to do is look down when crossing the Westgate Bridge. Beneath Melbourne's east-west connector, the salt lake turns hot pink when the heat goes up and the rainfall goes down. The lake first turned pink 17 years ago – the theory goes that migrating birds brought the requisite purple sulphur bacteria from the pink lakes of the Mallee district to the former sand quarry, which had been dug so deep it hit salt water. The lake tends to dial up the colour with the first heatwave in October-November, and disappears with the heavy rains of winter, around April. However, Nick Brinkley of Westgate Biodiversity, says this year's high rainfall and low temperatures mean it's unlikely we'll see pink this summer. Regardless, the biodiverse wetlands harbour up to 150 species of birdlife, so tread lightly, pack a picnic and get your twitcher on. See westgatebiodiversity.org.au
See also: The best (and the worst) natural springs to take a soak
See also: Australia's ten biggest inland cities you should visit (or avoid)
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