Lake Tyrrell

Lake Tyrrell covers around two hundred square kilometres of salt pan in the Victorian Mallee, the state's largest, and it holds a shallow film of water through winter and spring that turns the surface into an almost perfect mirror. When the water is right, the sky reflects completely, and at times the brine takes a pink cast from salt-tolerant algae. The Boorong people of this country were noted for their astronomical knowledge, and the lake's viewing platform and boardwalk were built with interpretation of that heritage. Its remoteness and flat horizon have made it a night-sky site, drawing photographers for the Milky Way, and salt is still harvested commercially from part of the lake.

History

Around 120,000 years ago the lake was some 13 metres deep and barely salty, and its level later fell with the climate into cycles of drying and partial refilling. Its name comes from the Wergaia word for sky, in the country of the Boorong, known for their star lore, and the explorer Edward Eyre was the first European to record it, in 1838, while looking for grazing land (Wikipedia, Lake Tyrrell).

What you'll find

• The mirror surface - shallow brine reflecting the sky when water is present.
• The pink tint - algae colouring the water in some conditions.
• The night sky - dark-sky views over an unobstructed flat horizon.
• The boardwalk - the viewing platform with Boorong astronomy interpretation.

When to go

June to October, when there is water on the lake for the mirror effect; by late summer it is usually a dry salt crust. Sunset, sunrise and moonless nights are the reasons people come. Winter nights are cold in the open.

Before you go

The mirror depends entirely on there being water, and dry visits are common outside winter and spring. The salt crust is sharp and the mud beneath sticky; vehicles must stay off the lake bed. Sea Lake has minimal services and there is no shade or shelter.

Nearby

Sea Lake is the base village; the Silo Art Trail passes through the region.

Key facts