Lake Hillier

Lake Hillier sits on Middle Island in the Recherche Archipelago, about six hundred metres long and separated from the Southern Ocean by a narrow strip of dune and paperbark. Its colour is a flat, opaque pink that stays pink in a glass, unlike some other pink lakes whose colour depends on the light, and research has attributed it to a community of salt-loving microorganisms including Dunaliella salina and Salinibacter along with halophilic bacteria. Landing on the island is not permitted, so the lake is seen from scenic flights out of Esperance, which pass over the archipelago and the coast. Nearby Pink Lake at Esperance, once similar, has lost its colour and is no longer pink.

What you actually see

• The pink water - a flat opaque pink lake beside a dark blue ocean.
• The narrow dune - the strip of sand and trees dividing lake from sea.
• The archipelago - the islands and turquoise water passed on the flight.
• The contrast - pink, white sand and deep ocean blue in a single frame.

When to go

October to April for the calmest flying conditions; flights operate year-round but are cancelled in wind. Midday overhead sun gives the strongest colour from the air. The pink is consistent through the year.

Honest expectations

There is no way to visit the lake itself; landing on Middle Island is prohibited and the only access is a scenic flight, which is expensive and weather-dependent. Esperance's own Pink Lake is no longer pink, which disappoints visitors who go there expecting it.

Nearby

Esperance is the flight departure point; Cape Le Grand lies east along the coast.