The Pink Lake is easily viewed from the rest-stop beside the highway and you can walk down the path to the edge of the lake.
As you walk along the path to the lake, you will see yellow gums, buloke trees and paperbarks, giving way to the smaller and very distinctive salt tolerant plants that grow in this unique environment.
A salt pan is formed where water pools evaporate. An example of a salt pan would be a lake or a pond that is located in a climate where the rate of water evaporation exceeds the rate of water precipitation, i.e., if it were in a desert. If the water is unable to drain into the ground, it remains on the surface until it evaporates, leaving behind minerals precipitated from the salt ions dissolved in the water. Over thousands of years, the minerals (usually salts) accumulate on the surface. These minerals reflect the Sun's rays & often appear as white areas. The pink colour of the water comes from a pigment secreted by microscopic algae. The intensity of the pink varies with the amount of water in the lake. When the lake is drier more light is reflected from the white crystallized salt reducing the impact of the pink. The lake is fed by several streams but mostly by water from deep underground. The salt here has many minerals in it - phosphorous, calcium, magnesium & potassium.
The salt was commercially harvested from the lake for many years back in the 1860's and some of the relics from that time can still be seen near the edge of the lake. Just days after a harvest ends, a film of water covers the lake bed. And its not from rain, but from springs deep in the earth. I has been said that there would be between 15-20000 tonnes.
The listed Co-ordinates will bring you onto the lake edge. There are no visitors signs here with information. To log this Earthcache you will need to answer the following;
Q1 What 3 colours do you see between the listed co-ords and upto & including the lake?
Q2 Describe the texture of each of the colors.
Q3 While at the listed co-ordinates, what is your Elevation?
Please email the answers before submitting your discovery. If answers are not submitted, your log will be deleted.
Na'wal
Please feel free to upload a photo from your experience here. I hope you enjoyed the views and the color of this amazing place 