Have you ever found a hidden gem that takes your breath away? A spot so beautiful, so peaceful that you never want to leave? How about a spot that is so picturesque that you’re amazed to be the only people there? That’s exactly how we felt when we discovered the Pink Lakes tucked away in a remote corner of Victoria.
Within the Murray Sunset National Park (5 hours NE of Adelaide) lies a cluster of Pink Salt lakes, the type of place you see on the viral videos and Instagram posts; Only these Pink Lakes in Victoria lay untouched by tourists, a real Aussie hidden gem! Unlike pink lakes closer to the city that is only pink seasonally, these ones remain pink throughout the year thanks to their unique salt base. It isn’t the salt that’s pink either! The beautiful colour is created by unique algae that have adapted to live in salty waters, and on overcast days will be when you can see the colour more clearly.
It was a beautiful clear day when we went, but luckily we were not disappointed; in fact, the complete opposite. Dec and I had been to see a pink lake in Melbourne but were treated with a muddy brownish, purple ‘off’ colour, so we didn’t have high hopes for these ones either. Our first glimpse of the pink reflecting off the water was amazing, a bit like seeing our first beautiful sunset in oz. It was beyond what we expected and the ‘crust’ around it looked almost beach like.
Parking Mo up in the shade we admired how we were the only people around, we have grown to expect crowds at something so beautiful. Yet here we were, just us. If you get bored of taking photo’s in and around the lakes, there are a cobweb of trails that lead around them if you fancy a bit of a trek. Each varies in length so there will be something for everyone, but for us, it was just too hot.
Tips for your very own pink lake experience:
– Take plenty of water, it gets hot even when it’s cloudy, and being around this much salt dehydrates you quicker than you think
– Take caution around the water; although the one we explored was shallow enough to walk across, not all of them are.
– Take a picnic! There are picnic benches here (and toilets) so sit back and enjoy the natural beauty. It’s not often you’ll get something like this all to yourself.
– Get there early, it gets hot quickly, so getting there early means you can get out early too before the sun melts your camera.
– Go with friends! Nothing makes an experience like this better than when you experience it with loved ones!
If you ever find yourself in Adelaide, or rural Victoria, with a spare day we definitely recommend the Murray Sunset Pink Lakes! It was a 2-hour drive from where we were base, and it seemed like a far journey ‘just for lunch’ but it was worth every minute in the van!
Here are some of our other Australian Hidden gems we think you’ll love:
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Australia so beautiful and so big! I did not know these existed. Obviously, I’ll have a plan a trip to see some more of its wonders.
From afar it almost looks lavender in color. What a pretty lake this one is. My officemate has just been relocated to our office in Adelaide, I think she might be able to take a visit. Will definitely let her know about it.
Australia was long been in my travel bucketlist but I actually never considered visiting Adelaide hehe. Might have squeeze it in my itinerary! Looks like a great adventure.
Nice! I like such small gems which are not known, and there is not enough infrastructure around. The magic and innocence of a place is kept alive! You say this is in Victoria. Is this a small drive for people living in Melbourne?
no it’s quite a drive from Melbourne, maybe 4 hours. I think it’s closer to Adelaide
Beautiful! How amazing that there are pink algae giving color to a scenic panorama of Pink Lakes.
And for the chance that you were in this place to enjoy without much crowd, that’s awesome!
Woah! A pink lake!
That would be a great place to add to my bucketlist.
I have visited a teal lake, brown, greenish, and even a lake within a lake, but haven’t seen a pink one yet. I bet an aerial shot would make it look more interesting. 🙂
Thank you for sharing. Will surely love to visit this place.
The Pink lake looks so beautiful. What a unique and stunning phenomenon of nature. I never knew that the colour is due to a type of algae. You have given some wonderful and useful information that needs to be bookmarked.
I would call it one of the rare phenomenons of nature. And it sounds really interesting to be visiting a pink lake. I had heard of pink beach in Indonesia, but never knew there is a pink lake like this as well. Will definitely visit some day.
It looks so beautiful there, on my journey to Australia I spent the whole 3 months in WA, mostly in Perth and South. I really have to go back and explore more. I have Portuguese friends living in Adelaide so maybe it is time to visit them 😀
I’ve only heard about pink beaches but never pink lakes. There’s a science to it I don’t know about — but how lovely its art is. I especially like its contrast against the dusty lands with few shriveled up trees.
I have been trying to convince my wife that we should have a holiday in Adelaide, but she thinks there isn’t enough to do there. This could help, it looks brilliant!
SA is beautiful apparently! We only had a quick tour through it due to severe rain, but it’s certainly somewhere we’ll go back to! The lakes are a little trek from Adelaide but sooooo worth it!! Glad you enjoyed it! We have a post coming up about Adelaide too 😉