|
Lake Hillier in Archipelago of the Recherche
Located in a densely
wooded corner of Middle Island, Lake Hillier
or also known as Hillier Lake, provides a welcome color to the one hundred
small islands that make up the Archipelago of
the Recherche that lies off Western Australia's
south coast. This archipelago was named as "L'Archipel
de la Recherche" by France's Rear-Admiral Bruni
d'Entrecasteaux in 1972 after one of his ships. Not seen anywhere else in the
world, this natural wonder pink lake truly gives you an
astonishing moment that you will never forget.
Seen from the air, the glistening pale pink
surface of remote Lake Hillier looks like glace
icing on an oblong cake.
The shallow briny
lake which is about six hundred meters across
seems to be out of place in this storm-tossed
seas. Rimmed with white salt and encircled by
dark green forests of eucalyptus and paperbark
trees, a narrow strip of white dunes and sand
separates the lake from the ocean's deep waters.
One mystery on what causes the lake's unique
color has remained a question not answered until
today. One of the first evidence of Middle
Island's pink lake dates back to the journals of
Matthew Flinders, a British navigator and
hydrographer in 1802. Flinders had climbed
Middle Island's highest peak (now known as
Flinders Peak) to survey the surrounding waters
when he came across this remarkable pink lake. Except for a few years
when salt extraction was being carried out here,
the island and its pink lake has been almost
untouched and has since then provide visitors
with one of the most amazing view of the world's
natural wonder.
_____________________________________________________________________________________
|