If you follow any travel accounts on Instagram, chances are you’ve seen more than a few photos of stunningly pink lakes in Australia. These natural wonders attract visitors from far and wide – and we can see why. Who wouldn’t want to see these beauties with their own eyes?
From the outback of South Australia to the coast of Western Australia, here’s where you’ll find the country’s must-see pink lakes…
Where to Find Pink Lakes in Australia
1. Lake Hillier – Middle Island, Esperance, Western Australia
This Insta-famous lake is about 130 km (70 miles) from Esperance, or an eight-hour drive from Perth. It’s a surreal sight; the pink lake neighbours the dark blue waters of the Indian Ocean, with a strip of lush green forest acting as a barrier. Although you can see the lake by boat, one of the best ways to take in the view is from the air on a scenic flight with Goldfields Air Services.Â
2. Hutt Lagoon – near Port Gregory, Western Australia
Depending on the season, time of day and cloud coverage, this lake changes from red to pink and even to lilac purple. Visit during mid-morning or sundown to catch the best of its colourful spectrum. You can easily access the lake by car on the George Grey Drive, or see the mesmerising marvel from the sky.
3. Kati Thanda-Lake – Eyre National Park, South Australia
You’ll have to wait for the right moment to see this pink lake, but it’s worth it. It’s located a six-hour drive or 1.5-hour flight from Adelaide. The lake is usually a salt pan, its blinding white salt plains glistening in the Australian sun. It’s a stunning sight, but becomes a different kind of beautiful every few years as the lake floods with water.
The flooding brings flourishing greenery, flocks of birds and a lake turned dreamy shades of pink and orange. This desert oasis is best experienced from the air.
4. Lake Bumbunga – Yorke Peninsula, South Australia
Less than a two-hour drive from Adelaide, Lake Bumbunga is not only one of Australia’s most accessible pink lakes but also one of its most photogenic. Its vivid magenta shores are a magnet for tourists and photographers, moving between hues of pink, white and blue depending on the salinity of the water. It’s so beautiful it hardly looks real…
5. Lake MacDonnell – Eyre Peninsula, South Australia
Located in South Australia’s breathtaking Eyre Peninsula, Lake MacDonnell is one of the country’s most intensely pink lakes, owing to its high salt concentration. Take the ultra-Instagrammable road between the bubblegum-hued Lake MacDonnell and its neighbouring blue-green waters to discover Cactus Beach at the end of the path.
6. Lake Hart – Woomera, South Australia
This shallow pink lake has a high salt concentration that creates salt crystals under the pastel water. Its isolation in the outback makes way for incredible star-gazing, but the lake is equally impressive as the salt sparkles in the sun. See Lake Hart onboard the Indian Pacific, a world-class train journey between Sydney and Perth.
7. The Pink Lakes – near Mildura, Victoria
Travel out to the Murray Sunset National Park to see the famous Pink Lakes for yourself. In spring, four of the park’s lakes – Becking, Crosbie, Roulton and Kenyon – turn a vivid pink.
The park is located in the vast and wild landscape of north-west Victoria, about a five-hour drive from Melbourne. These lakes change from brilliant pink to glistening white, and tend to be at their most vibrant on cloudy days. Who needs sunshine with a view like this?
Header image Jaimen Hudson. All other images from Tourism Australia.
