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A lake full of Pepto Bismal? Australia’s Lake Hillier – a bubble-gum pink wonder that scientists have yet to unravel.

Liqeni Hillier - Australie (Lake Hillier)

From above, Lake Hillier, located on the edge of Recherche Archipelago’s largest island in Australia, looks to be filled with Pepto Bismal.  Its bubble-gum pink waters are so unusual, airlines report passengers getting up from their seats and crowding around windows to get a peek of the stunningly beautiful natural wonder.

Scientists are unsure why its waters retain their rose-pink color but believe it may be from a dye created by the organisms living in the lake – Dunaliella salina and Halobacteria.  Another theory proposes that the pink color might be attributed to the presence of red halophilic bacteria in the salt crusts.  What they do know is that the bright pink waters are no illusion.  The water retains its pink hue even when taken away in containers.

The earliest records mentioning the existence of Lake Hillier are found in the journals of Matthew Flinders, a British navigator. In 1802, Flinders climbed the Middle Island’s highest peak (subsequently named Flinders Peak) to survey the surrounding waters and discovered the unusual pink lake. Hillier has been untouched by human hands ever since.

The lake is about 650 yards long (600 meters) and is surrounded by a strip of salt-crusted sand and a dense woodland of paperbark and eucalyptus trees.  A narrow strip of sand dunes covered by vegetation separates it to the north from the Southern Ocean.

Although you wouldn’t guess it by looking, the waters are indeed safe to swim in, albeit a bit salty.

Image Credits

In-Article Image Credits

Liqeni Hillier - Australie (Lake Hillier) via Wikimedia Commons by Kurioziteti123 with usage type - Creative Commons License. December 8, 2015
Goose Island, Lake Hillier Middle Island and Miles Island via Wikimedia Commons by Aussie Oc with usage type - Creative Commons License. April 28, 2011
The Lake Hillier, Middle Island, Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve, in Western Australia via Wikimedia Commons by Aussie Oc with usage type - Creative Commons License. April 28, 2011
: Pink Lake [Lake Hillier] on Middle Island off the coast of Esperance Western Australia via Wikimedia Commons by Yodaobione with usage type - Creative Commons License. February 26, 2016
Lake Hillier Shoreline via Wikimedia Commons by PruneCron with usage type - Creative Commons License. February 6, 2015
Pink Lake Hillier water waves via Hillier Lake.com
Lake Hillier aerial view via Hillier Lake

Featured Image Credit

Liqeni Hillier - Australie (Lake Hillier) via Wikimedia Commons by Kurioziteti123 with usage type - Creative Commons License. December 8, 2015

 

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