While many people think of beaches in the land down under, you’d be forgiven for having no idea that there are in fact 10 places to see a pink lake in Australia.
In this pink lakes guide I’m going to talk about the many pink lakes in Western Australia, four pink lakes in Murray Sunset National Park in Victoria, one in Canberra and the famous pink lakes in South Australia such as Lake Macdonnell.
Why Are There Pink Lakes In Australia?

Just a quick one if you’re wondering how a pink lake bed is formed to make the pink water:
- It has to be a salt lake
- During the hot weather, the algae in the water mixes with the salts to turn into pink water – it’s as simple as that.
- Most pink lakes don’t stay pink permanently, they change colour all the time mostly from a lilac to a bright bubblegum pink colour throughout the day and in certain times of the year.
- If you’re wondering whether you can swim in a pink lake, there’s no reason why you can’t, but most pink lakes in Australia are off limits as the locals are trying to protect them. If you find a pink lake you are allowed to swim in, make sure you don’t have any open wounds as they’ll be seeing a lot of salt in them once you take a dip. I would wear reef shoes to avoid cutting your feet on the salt crystals as well.
1. Pink and Rainbow Lakes in Esperance, Western Australia

Did you know Esperance in South West Australia is home to over 200 pink lakes? Some of these includes The Pink and Rainbow Lakes which are a group of 24 multi-coloured and pink lakes all located next door to each other.

Located on private property, you can only see them on a scenic flight with Fly Esperance like I did. Read my Rainbow Lakes Review to find out more about this amazing experience and even though the best time to see them is between January – April when they are at their most vibrant colours on, I did this tour in May and loved it.

The scenic flight actually feels like two flights as it takes you over the amazing Cape Le Grand National Park as well where you’ll fly over the famous Lucky Bay and some of the best beaches I have personally seen in the world. Check my Instagram Reel to see more about this amazing tour!
2. Hutt Lagoon, Western Australia

5.5hrs north of Perth lies Hutt Lagoon in Port Gregory, a pink lake which stretches over a massive 70KM. Hutt Lagoon is also a favourite set location for fashion brands like Lancôme and Myer.
You can book this 1 hour buggy tour around this Port Gregory pink lake and learn all about the local history around it, which would be super cool! Or if you’re driving the Perth to Broome road trip, I recommend swinging by here as it honestly must be the best pink lake in Australia.
When I visited in May, it was an overcast day but it was still pink! While many pink lakes can only be seen pink from the sky, you can see the pink colour at eye level here. It is an amazingly huge pink hue colour and it’s no surprise that it’s often called the Bubblegum Pink Lake. There’s a lookout you can park right up to, but I suggest taking a good couple of hours to explore the area as it is so big you could spend the whole day here taking photos.
In summer the lake dries out to form a big salt lake – the colour is still pink but it is very pale. You are able to walk on the lake when it is dry and take some epic photos! Then, in winter (or after big rains) the lake fills up again.
How to get to Hutt Lagoon:
Hutt Lagoon is a 5h30m drive from Perth located near to the main hub of Geraldton nearly half way up the WA coast. Spending time in WA? Check out our 10 Best Beaches in Western Australia By A Perth Local guide.
3. Quairading Pink Lake, Western Australia

Quairading Pink Lake is just a two hour drive out of Perth and what makes it unique is the fact that there’s a road that runs right in the middle of it. This road actually determines that there’s two different shades of pink throughout the year. We drove through it on our South Western Australia road trip and came by here after visiting Wave Rock. It makes an amazing drone photo and although it wasn’t pink when we visited, I’m glad we got to see it regardless.
How to get to Quairading Pink Lake:
It’s just over a 2 hour drive west of Perth to get to Quairading Pink Lake!
4. Lake Bumbunga, Clare Valley, South Australia

Lake Bumbunga is only a 1h40m drive North West of Adelaide and home to the famous lochness monster sculpture which sits in the middle of the lake. When I visited, the water was a pale pink at eye level but as soon as we flew the drone up, the pink hue came alive! It’s an amazing lake that you need to stop off and see, especially if you’re on your way to Coober Pedy or to Flinders Ranges. There’s a lookout you can park at to see the best vantage point.
How to get to Lake Bumbunga:
Located near the town of Lochiel, Lake Bumbunga is a 1 hour and 40 minute drive north west from Adelaide.
5. Lake Eyre, South Australia

It might not be as easy to visit the other lakes as Lake Eyre actually only sees water every 3-10 years. When the lake fills up, the beautiful wildlife bring the lake alive and it’s a sight to be seen.
How to get to Lake Eyre:
Lake Eyre is a good 8h drive north from Adelaide. If you’re going to be travelling around Adelaide, check out our Ultimate South Australia Road Trip Guide For 1/2/3 Weeks.
6. Lake Albert, Fleurieu Peninsula, South Australia

Lake Albert is just a 1h40m drive south east of Adelaide and is named after Prince Albert. The lake sits as the gateway to the Coorong National park which has salt pans, sand dunes, wild beaches and wetlands which stretches over 150km.
How to get to Lake Albert:
Lake Albert is a 1 hour and 40 minute drive south east from Adelaide.
7. Lake MacDonnell, South Australia

One of the most popular pink lakes in Australia is Lake MacDonnell. Although it’s becoming a popular Instagram spot, it actually takes a good nine hour drive west of Adelaide to get there.
Previously a salt mine, Lake MacDonnell is the largest gypsum mine in the southern hemisphere and can produce more than one million tonnes of gypsum a year.
How to get there:
It’s a 9 hour drive west of Adelaide to reach this insta-famous pink lake!
8. Westgate Lake Melbourne

A few year back Westgate Lake near the Westgate Bridge made global headlines as it changed colour overnight to a bright bubblegum shade of pink.
There were many theories about why Westgate Park Lake changed colour but it’s actually due to the warmer weather. The mixture of high salt levels and high temperatures caused the salt lake to turn pink. During the winter months it returns to its normal cooler colour.
And there was us thinking you had to travel far to see the pink phenomenon and you can see it right in the middle of Melbourne!
How to get there:
Westgate Lake is located in Port Melbourne, just an 18 minute drive from Melbourne’s CBD.
9. Pink Lakes in Murray Sunset National Park, Victoria

Located in far North West Victoria, 50km south of Mildura, lies four pink lakes in the Murray-Sunset National Park called; Lake Crosbie, Lake Becking, Lake Kenyon and Lake Hardy.
Although they aren’t as well known as some of famous pink lakes located in Western Australia and South Australia, Victoria still has some extraordinary pink lakes worth mentioning with salt loving algae to make them pink.
The colours range from mauve to the classic bubblegum pink after rainfall and get whiter throughout the day. There are walking tracks between the four lakes and you can camp at either Lake Crosbie or Lake Becking.
How to get to pink lakes Victoria:
Murray-Sunset National Park is a six hour drive North West of Melbourne and is actually closer to Adelaide by a whole 1h45m! If you’re looking to camp at Murray-Sunset National Park, check out Parks Victoria for more information.
2 Pink lakes which aren’t pink anymore

- Lake Hillier – the amazing Lake Hillier is no longer pink and hasn’t been for a few years now. We wanted to visit it on our recent trip to Esperance located on Middle Island but we were sadly told that there are no tours running now as the bubblegum pink lake is sadly no longer pink.
- Pink Lake Esperance (also known as Lake Spencer pictured above) and Lake Warden – we visited both of these pink lakes in Esperance and they also haven’t been pink for a long time unfortunately. Luckily you can do the Rainbow Lakes scenic flight instead like we did to see loads of smaller lakes instead.