Pink Lake just out of Esperance is pink, and sometimes even purple, depending on weather conditions. In fact depending what time of the day you visit the Lake, and the current water and salinity levels, the pink has been known to change from brilliant blues to a fairy-tale pink.
The colour of the lake is attributed to high concentrations of salt tolerant algae, Dunalella Sailina. This was first definitely established in 1980 after almost 200 years of conjecture. Confirmation came when Esperance Museum Curator prompted a W.A. University biologist to analyse lake water samples. These samples and others sent earlier confirmed Dunalella Sailina in the lake as well as Coccomonas Algae. The alga has been shown responsible for similar lake colourings in the U.S.A. The salt from Pink Lake is 99.9% pure and is harvested for WA Salt Supply and sent to Fremantle for processing. Salt licks for stock, with appropriate additives, are made in Esperance. There are at present about 13 hectares divided into 8 ponds, into which water is pumped during the dry month; as it evaporates it leaves behind the salt crystals. At present 14,000 tonnes a year are harvested.
We also drive on the Great Ocean Drive which is a circular loop of 38km. Some of the highlights we visit include the Rotary Lookout; Twighlight Beach; Observatory Point and the Wind Farms at Salmon Beach. Esperance is the second windiest place in Western Australia (Geraldton being the windiest) and the wind farms help to offset local fuel prices.
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