Pink Lake Lookout — Attraction in Gregory

This is the most extraordinary body of water I have seen on six continents — so otherworldly that you can’t quite absorb that it is real. It’s big, it’s beautiful, and yes — it is truly pink. The presence of an algae that thrives in salt water produces beta-carotene, giving the lake its striking hue.

We visited the first time on our way north to Ningaloo Reef and again on our way back south to Perth. The first time, the water was low, so we drove quite a way before really seeing the color in the water, but by the time we got to the lookout, it was spectacular. We had read that the pink is most visible in midday, but it was already rich and vibrant when we arrived at 10:00 in mid-May.

There were lots of people there, and like most of them, we went down the path in the dune by the parking area to walk along the shore. At first, it looked to me as if the water’s edge was going to be muddy and soft, so I was amazed that it was neither. I carried my flip flops and stepped tentatively into the lake. Walking in the shallows was similar to the crunch of walking on snow, except that there was also water around my feet. A bank of salt stretched out almost all the way across, and on it we were able to get almost to the other side. Clusters of that look like different sizes of snowballs emerge from the water, and the salt crystals on the shore glistened in the morning light. This is one of the most amazing things I have ever seen, ever done.

By the time we came back 10 days later, there had been several days of rain, and the size of the lake had grown exponentially. We arrived before 8 AM, and with storm clouds hovering nearby, we were the only ones there. The threat of heavy rain meant we didn’t scamper down the dune to the lake again; instead, we went as far as we could on the path on top of the dune. This gave us new vantage points over the ethereal beauty of the lake, whose water was more lavender than pink in this light.

As is clear from my photos, the color changes according to the time of day, angle of the sun, and the conditions of the clouds. Down at lake level, according to the direction I was facing, the water went from orangey-pink to bubblegum pink to the rich dark hue of watermelon juice.

Access from the highway is quick and easy. Just follow signs to Port Gregory, and you’ll arrive in about 10-15 minutes. Another cool thing to do if you have time is stop and explore the ruins of the Lynton Convict Depot. There are no restrooms at either location.

But no matter what, it’s more than worth the time you...

Before we start and gets too confusing, there are a couple of pink lakes, one in Esperance WA and another one in Port Gregory also in WA over an hour’s drive in Geraldton WA. The one we went to yesterday was the Port Gregory Salt Lake after leaving Geraldton.

The dusty lookout is very small, room for only few vehicles. The lake itself is very pale pink. Coming down the vantage point, there are few people wading in the shallows and mostly others are after a few snaps.

Across the vantage point on the Port Gregory Rd is the George Grey Drive. There’s no vantage point but the lake itself is the same level with the road. There’s a small car park and some bushes. I noticed that there were people here and the lake hue is slightly darker pink than the one at the vantage point. You can walk a little bit further without getting wet due to salt formation which you can’t on the Port Gregory side.

One negative in the George Grey Rd is you have to walk through bushes😞to get to the salt lake.

Great drone...

Today we took a short drive down to visit Hutt Lagoon and the spectacular pink lake at Port Gregory about 45 minutes south of Kalbarri. Amazing views from the Lake Lookout on Port Gregory Road, where you can safely pull off the road, park your car and get out to view the Amazing phenomina. Its incredible, the whole lake is bubble gum pink. The lake's colour changes through the spectrum of red to bubblegum pink to lilac purple, depending on the time of day, the season (time of year) and amount of cloud cover when you visit. The best time to visit is typically on a cloudless day in the middle of the day, when the sun is high.

WHY IS IT PINK - Hutt Lagoon boasts a pink hue created by the presence of carotenoid-producing algae, Dunaliella salina, which is a source of beta-carotene; a food-colouring agent; and a source...