Lake Hillier

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Lake Hillier
Lake Hillier 2 Middle Island Recherche Archipelago NR IV-2011.JPG
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Lake Hillier
Location in Western Australia
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Red pog.svg
Lake Hillier
Lake Hillier (Australia)
Location Goldfields-Esperance, Western Australia
Coordinates 34°05′45″S123°12′10″E / 34.09583°S 123.20278°E / -34.09583; 123.20278
Type Salt lake
Basin  countriesAustralia
Designation Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve
Max. length600 m (2,000 ft)
Max. width250 m (820 ft)
Surface area15 ha (37 acres)
References [1]

Lake Hillier is a saline lake on the edge of Middle Island, the largest of the islands and islets that make up the Recherche Archipelago in the Goldfields-Esperance region, off the south coast of Western Australia. It is particularly notable for its pink colour. A long and thin shore divides the Southern Ocean (by some definitions, the Indian Ocean) from the lake.

Contents

Pink Lake [Lake Hillier] on Middle Island off the coast of Esperance Western Australia Pink Lake (Lake Hillier) on Middle Island off the coast of Esperance Western Australia.jpg
Pink Lake [Lake Hillier] on Middle Island off the coast of Esperance Western Australia

Description

Lake Hillier is about 600 metres (2,000 ft) in length by about 250 m (820 ft) in width. [2] The lake is surrounded by a rim of sand and a dense woodland of paperbark and eucalyptus trees [3] with a narrow strip of sand dunes covered by vegetation separating its northern edge from the northern coast of Middle Island. The most notable feature of the lake is its pink, vibrant colour. The vibrant colour is permanent, and does not alter when the water is taken in a container. The pink colour is believed to be due to the presence of the organism Dunaliella salina . [4] The Extreme Microbiome Project, part of the Association of Biomolecular Resource Facilities (ABRF), Metagenomics Research Group (MGRG), has performed a metagenomic analysis on the lake to find Dunaliella as well as Salinibacter ruber , Dechloromonas aromatica , and a few species of the Archaea. [5]

History

European discovery and use

Lake Hillier was visited by the Matthew Flinders expedition on 15 January 1802. Flinders's journal entries are considered to be the first written records of the lake. Flinders observed the pink lake after ascending the island's highest peak (now called Flinders Peak), describing the lake as follows: [6]

In the north-eastern part was a small lake of a rose colour, the water of which, as I was informed by Mr. Thistle who visited it, was so saturated with salt that sufficient quantities were crystallised near the shores to load a ship. The specimen he brought on board was of a good quality, and required no other process than drying to be fit for use.

Flinders visited Middle Island again in May 1803; he intended "to stop a day or two in Goose-Island Bay, for the purposes of procuring geese for our sick people, seal oil for our lamps, and a few casks of salt from the lake on Middle Island". It is reported that Flinders subsequently named the lake after William Hillier, a crew member of Investigator who died of dysentery on 20 May 1803 prior to the expedition's departure from Middle Island. [7] [8]

In 1889, [9] Edward Andrews investigated the commercial possibilities of producing salt from Lake Hillier, and briefly moved onto the island with both of his sons. [10] They left after working the salt deposits for about one year. [9]

The lake was subject to salt mining during the late 19th century. The salt mining enterprise is reported as failing for a number of reasons including "the toxicity of the salt collected for consumption". [8]

Forms of life

Lake Hillier Shoreline Lake Hillier Shoreline Pink Hue Salt Deposite.jpg
Lake Hillier Shoreline

The only living organisms in Lake Hillier are microorganisms including Dunaliella salina , red algae which cause the salt content in the lake to create a red dye which helps produce the colour, as well as red halophilic bacteria, bacterioruberin, present in the salt crusts. Despite the unusual hue, the lake exhibits no known adverse effects upon humans. From above, the lake appears a solid bubble gum pink, but from the shoreline it appears more of a clear pink hue. The shoreline is also covered in salt crust deposits. In 2016 scientists from the Extreme Microbiome Project conducted extensive microbiome and metagenomic DNA sequencing and detected Haloquadratum, Haloferax, Salinibacter, Halobacterium, Halogeometricum, and several other halophilic organisms. Culturing from the water revealed a low concentration of Psychroflexus as well.

Safety and accessibility

Despite the high salt content levels (comparable to those of the Dead Sea), Lake Hillier is safe to swim in.[ citation needed ] However, it is not advisable nor allowed without previous approval by the Western Australia Dept of Environment Conservation.[ citation needed ]

There are very few ways to reach Lake Hillier. Aeroplane scenic flights are the most common method, with six flights a day departing Esperance Airport, flying over Lake Hillier via the nearby Cape Le Grand National Park. Cruises are also an option for passengers wanting to visit the isolated lake, and surrounding forest area.

Protected area status

As recently as 2012, Lake Hillier has been located within the boundaries of the Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve. Since 2002, the lake itself has been considered to be a wetland of "subregional significance". [11] [12]

See also

Related Research Articles

<i>Dunaliella salina</i> Species of alga

Dunaliella salina is a type of halophile unicellular green algae especially found in hypersaline environments, such as salt lakes and salt evaporation ponds. Known for its antioxidant activity because of its ability to create a large amount of carotenoids, it is responsible for most of the primary production in hypersaline environments worldwide, and is also used in cosmetics and dietary supplements.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Investigator Strait</span> Body of water in South Australia

Investigator Strait is a body of water in South Australia lying between the Yorke Peninsula, on the Australian mainland, and Kangaroo Island. It was named by Matthew Flinders after his ship, HMS Investigator, on his voyage of 1801–1802. It is bordered by the Gulf St Vincent in the northeast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Investigator Group</span> Archipelago of Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

The Investigator Group is an archipelago in South Australia that consists of Flinders Island and five island groups located off the western coast of the Eyre Peninsula. It is named after HMS Investigator by her commander, Matthew Flinders when he explored the area in 1802. The Group lies within the Great Australian Bight. All the islands except Flinders Island, and a part of Pearson Island, are within the Investigator Group Wilderness Protection Area and the Waldegrave Islands Conservation Park.

Israelite Bay is a bay and locality on the south coast of Western Australia.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recherche Archipelago</span> Group of 105 islands in southern Western Australia

The Archipelago of the Recherche, known locally as the Bay of Isles, is a group of 105 islands, and over 1200 "obstacles to shipping", off the south coast of Western Australia. The islands stretch 230 km (140 mi) from east to west and to 50 km (31 mi) off-shore encompassing an area of approximately 4,000 square kilometres (1,544 sq mi). The western group is near Esperance and the eastern group at Israelite Bay. They are located in coastal waters, part of which is designated the Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Backstairs Passage</span> Strait in South Australia

The Backstairs Passage is a strait in South Australia lying between Fleurieu Peninsula on the Australian mainland and Dudley Peninsula on the eastern end of Kangaroo Island. The western edge of the passage is a line from Cape Jervis on Fleurieu Peninsula to Kangaroo Head on Kangaroo Island. The Pages, a group of islets, lie in the eastern entrance to the strait. About 14 km wide at its narrowest, it was formed by the rising sea around 13,000 years ago, at the end of the Pleistocene era, when it submerged the land connecting what is now Kangaroo Island with the Fleurieu Peninsula. Backstairs Passage was named by Matthew Flinders whilst he and his crew on HMS Investigator were exploring and mapping the coastline of South Australia in 1802.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pink lake</span> Pink lake phenomenon and examples

A pink lake is a lake that has a red or pink colour. This is often caused by the presence of salt-tolerant algae that produces carotenoids, such as Dunaliella salina, usually in conjunction with specific bacteria and archaea, which may vary from lake to lake. The most common archaeon is Halobacterium salinarum.

HMS <i>Porpoise</i> (1799) Shipwreck in Queensland, Australia

HMS Porpoise was a 12-gun sloop-of-war originally built in Bilbao, Spain, as the packet ship Infanta Amelia. On 6 August 1799 HMS Argo captured her off the coast of Portugal. Porpoise wrecked in 1803 on the North coast of what was then part of the Colony of New South Wales, now called Wreck Reefs, off the coast of Queensland, Australia.

Pink Lake (Western Australia) Salt lake in the Goldfields-Esperance region, Western Australia

Pink Lake is a salt lake in the Goldfields-Esperance region of Western Australia. Although historically the water in the lake was visibly pink, as of 2017 it had not been pink for over ten years. Salt concentration is vital to Pink Lake's pink hue, and Pink Lake may turn pink again as conditions change. It lies about 3 kilometres (2 mi) west of Esperance and is bounded to the east by the South Coast Highway.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">HMS Investigator Anchors</span>

The HMS Investigator Anchors are the two anchors that jettisoned from HMS Investigator on the morning of Saturday, 21 May 1803, by her commander, Matthew Flinders, in order to avoid running aground on Middle Island in the Archipelago of the Recherche on the south coast of New Holland. In 1973, the anchors were located and recovered by members of the Underwater Explorers Club of South Australia (UEC). The recovered anchors became the subject of an ownership dispute between various governments, particularly those of South Australia and Western Australia due to their historic significance as artefacts of a major voyage of European exploration. The dispute was resolved with the ownership of the anchors going to the Australian Government who subsequently gifted one of the anchors to the South Australian Government. The pair of artefacts is also known as Flinders' Anchors.

Cape Catastrophe is a headland in the Australian state of South Australia located at the southeast tip of Jussieu Peninsula on Eyre Peninsula. It is one of the natural features named by the British navigator Matthew Flinders in memory of the eight crew who were lost from a cutter that capsized sometime after being launched from HM Sloop Investigator to search for water on 21 February 1802. Flinders also nominated the headland as being the western point of the mouth of Spencer Gulf. It is currently located within the gazetted locality of Lincoln National Park and the protected area known as the Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area.

Little Island is an island in the Australian state of South Australia located in Spencer Gulf off the east coast of Jussieu Peninsula on Eyre Peninsula approximately 28 kilometres (17 mi) south-east of Port Lincoln. It was named by Matthew Flinders in memory of John Little who was one of the eight crew lost from a cutter that capsized sometime after being launched from HM Sloop Investigator to search for water on 21 February 1802. Since 2004, the island has been part of the Memory Cove Wilderness Protection Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anxious Bay</span> Bay in Eyre Peninsula, South Australia

Anxious Bay is a bay in the Australian state of South Australia located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula about 275 kilometres west north-west of Adelaide. It was named by Matthew Flinders on 21 February 1802. It is one of four ‘historic bays’ located on the South Australian coast.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Middle Island (Western Australia)</span> Island in Western Australia

Middle Island is an island off the south coast of Western Australia in the Recherche Archipelago, around 120 km (75 mi) south-east of Esperance. It is known for its pink lake, Lake Hillier. Goose Island lies just adjacent to the north.

Sleaford Mere is a permanent saline lake, located on the Jussieu Peninsula on the south eastern tip of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia about 15 kilometres south west of Port Lincoln. The lake was given its modern name by the British explorer, Matthew Flinders, on 26 February 1802. Since 1969, the lake has been part of the Sleaford Mere Conservation Park and since 2005, it has been listed as a nationally important wetland. The lake and its environs are notable as a venue for recreational pursuits such as canoeing.

Ward Islands is an island group in the Australian state of South Australia located in the Investigator Group about 53 kilometres west by south of Cape Finniss on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula. The group was discovered and named by Matthew Flinders on 13 February 1802. The island group has enjoyed protected area status since the 1960s and since 2011, it been part of the Investigator Group Wilderness Protection Area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve</span> Nature reserve in Western Australia

Recherche Archipelago Nature Reserve is a protected area located in the Recherche Archipelago off the south coast of Western Australia. It consists of at least 104 islands and at least 1,200 obstacles to shipping and covers an area of sea extending 230 kilometres from east to west and up to a distance of 50 kilometres from the coast of the Australian continent. As of 2012, visitor access is limited to Middle Island within the nature reserve and is only available via a licensed tour operator. The nature reserve is classified as an IUCN Category Ia protected area.

Point Weyland is a headland located on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula in South Australia about 4 kilometres west south-west of the town of Venus Bay and about 51 kilometres north north-west of the town of Elliston. The point which is located within Anxious Bay is the southern extremity of the opening to Venus Bay. The point is described by one source as being "a conspicuous cliffy point, 89 m (292 ft) high, stands close S[outh] W[est] of the entrance of Venus Bay" and "rises to a height of 96 m (315 ft), close N[orth] and slopes inland toward Venus Bay". It was named by Matthew Flinders on 10 February 1802. The point has been within the boundary of the Venus Bay Conservation Park since 1977 while the waters adjoining its shoreline have been within a habitat protection zone in the West Coast Bays Marine Park since 2012.

Pearson Isles is an island group located in the Australian state of South Australia about 65 kilometres to 72 kilometres west south-west of Cape Finniss on the west coast of Eyre Peninsula within the larger island group, the Investigator Group. The group was discovered and named by Matthew Flinders on 13 February 1802. The group has four members - Pearson Island, a pair of islands known as the Veteran Isles and Dorothee Island. The island group has enjoyed protected area status starting in 1916 and since 2011, it has been part of the Investigator Group Wilderness Protection Area. The island group is notable as a venue for scientific research.

Salinibacter ruber is an extremely halophilic red bacterium, first found in Spain in 2002.

References

  1. "Guide to Asia - Lake Hillier - Australia". 2004. Archived from the original on 23 August 2006. Retrieved 31 August 2008.
  2. "Lake Hillier" . Retrieved 2 March 2015.[ permanent dead link ]
  3. "Ten Random Facts - Lake Hillier". 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  4. Department of Environment and Conservation (2012). A guide to managing and restoring wetlands in Western Australia (PDF) (Report). Department of Environment and Conservation, Perth, Western Australia. pp. 18–19. Retrieved 2 March 2015.
  5. Heger, Monica (7 March 2016). "Extreme Microbiome Project Aims to Characterize Microbes Living in Harsh Environments". genomeweb. Retrieved 11 March 2016.
  6. Flinders, Matthew (1814) [Facsimile Edition, 1966]. "Book I Chapter IV". A Voyage to Terra Australis; Undertaken for the purpose of completing the discovery of that vast country, and prosecuted in the years 1801, 1802 and 1803, in his majesty's ship the Investigator, and subsequently in the armed vessel Porpoise and Cumberland schooner. With an account of the shipwreck of the Porpoise, arrival of the Cumberland at Mauritius, and imprisonment of the commander during six years and a half in that island. Volume I. London: Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. and published by G. And W. Nicol. Retrieved 30 January 2020 via Project Guttenberg.
  7. Flinders, Matthew (1814) [Facsimile Edition, 1966]. "Book II, Chapter X". A Voyage to Terra Australis; Undertaken for the purpose of completing the discovery of that vast country, and prosecuted in the years 1801, 1802 and 1803, in his majesty's ship the Investigator, and subsequently in the armed vessel Porpoise and Cumberland schooner. With an account of the shipwreck of the Porpoise, arrival of the Cumberland at Mauritius, and imprisonment of the commander during six years and a half in that island. Volume II. London: Printed by W. Bulmer and Co. and published by G. And W. Nicol. Retrieved 2 March 2015 via Project Guttenberg.
  8. 1 2 Green, Jeremy; Souter, Corioli; Baker, Patrick (2001). "Department of Maritime Archaeology Visit to Middle Island, Recherche Archipelago, Esperance, 29 April–4 May 2001, Report–Department of Maritime Archaeology Western Australian Maritime Museum No. 154" (PDF). Western Australian Maritime Museum. p. 7. Retrieved 27 February 2015.
  9. 1 2 Alistair Paterson and Corioli Souter (April 2006). "Report on historical archeological expedition to Middle and Boxer Islands, Recherche Archipelago" (PDF). Western Australian Museum. p. 12. Retrieved 24 August 2014.
  10. "The story of the Middle Island Boys" (PDF). Esperance Island Cruises. Retrieved 18 July 2015.[ dead link ]
  11. Department of Environment and Conservation (2012). Esperance and Recherche parks and reserves draft management plan 2012 (PDF) (Report). Department of Environment and Conservation, Perth, Western Australia. pp. 15 & 108. Retrieved 1 March 2015.
  12. A Biodiversity Audit of Western Australia's 53 Biogeographical Subregions in 2002 (PDF). Department of Conservation and Land Management. 2003. p. 211. ISBN   0 7307 5534 7 . Retrieved 1 March 2015.