Lake Hillier; the Pink Lake of Australia

Lake Hillier is located on Middle Island. Middle Island is one of the largest islands that make

up the Recherche Archipelago in Western Australia. The lake is not that big it is only about

600 meters long and about 250 meters wide. The lake is surrounded by a rim of sand, with

narrow strip of vegetation separating it from the coast of the Southern Ocean. When viewed

from the above, the lake looks very stunning with the vibrant colour of pink. However, when

viewed up close the colour of the water is actually not that vibrant but the pink colour it is

permanent and it is not a trick of the light. When a sample is taken into a container it retains

the pink colour. Lake Hillier is a salt water lake and that is why there are only two forms of

life having been discovered living in its water. One of it is the algae called as Dunaliella

salina and the other one is halophilic bacteria. These two microbes might be the cause for the

lake to have pink colour due to carotenoids but it is still unclear till nowadays. The salt

content of the lake is comparable to the Dead Sea at about 40%. Although very salty, it is

actually safe to swim in Lake Hillier. has