Pink Lakes, Murray-Sunset National Park, Victoria, Australia
It is not just the sunsets in the Murray-Sunset National Park that glow pink. This park is the location of the Pink Lakes that indeed live up to their name. They really are pink! Their colour is due to the presence of red algae that, along with the solid salt bed of the lakes, create this unusual hue. The pink is at its most intense after rain, due to fresh nutrients being washed into the lakes, which in turn trigger the growth of algae. At other times, the pink fades into a paler colour that is almost white. This amazing spectacle is a drawcard for photographers as the vivid images taken here are so unusual and spectacular and unlike anything else in Victoria. These lakes are found in the Mallee region, about 50km south-west of Mildura and 60km west of Ouyen. This north-west corner of the state is semi-arid, providing a landscape more usually associated with central Australia, with broad plains that come alive after spring rain as thousands of wildflowers bloom. This includes the largest flower to be found in Victoria, the Murray Lily, There are many hundreds of species of native plants in this region. Near the Pink Lakes, all the plants are salt-tolerant due to the high salt content of the water and soil in the area. In fact these lakes formed the basis of a thriving commercial salt industry that commenced in 1916 and continued up to 1979, when the area was declared a state park. The Pink Lakes are now further protected as they have been incorporated into what is now the second largest national park in the state: at 633,000 hectares, there is so much to explore in the Murray-Sunset National Park. There are four lakes in the park that exude the brilliant shades of pink: Lake Crosbie, Lake Becking, Lake Kenyon and Lake Hardy. Lake Crosbie has the main campground for those wishing to stay for a while and explore the Pink Lakes. Accessible by an all-weather gravel road, the campsite has toilets, gas barbecues, fireplaces and picnic tables.
Size: 7400px × 4939px
Location: Pink Lakes, Murray-Sunset, VIC, 3490, Australia
Photo credit: © Alexander Kondakov / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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