Australian Lake Turns Pink. You Can Look, But Don't Touch

New Delhi: After pink water flowed from the taps of a Canadian town, an Australian lake has now turned pink. In Port Melbourne, Westgate Park's salt lake is now a fabulous shade of pink instead of the customary blue. Unlike in Canada, where potassium permanganate contamination led to the change in colour, this lake turning pink is a natural phenomenon. "Westgate Park's salt lake has turned pink again this season: a natural phenomenon in response to very high salt levels, high temperatures, sunlight and lack of rainfall. Algae growing in the salt crust at the bottom of the lake produces the red pigment (beta carotene) as part of its photosynthesis process and in response to the extremely high salt levels," says a statement on the Parks Victoria Facebook page.
 

However, lovely as it is, the view should be enjoyed from a distance.

"Enjoy the views, but we recommend you don't come into contact with the water," says the statement.

The lake is expected to return to its normal colour when rainfall increases during the winters. The beautiful view provided by the pink waters, however, has been a godsend for shutterbugs. People have been flocking to the lake to click pictures, and social media has been abuzz. We compiled the most beautiful results for you to see:
 

Flying across the PINK Lake with my girls' strong hand. pic.twitter.com/4wPyZZucUU

- sombor_borjigin (@BorjiginSumber) March 10, 2017

 

Wow! This lake is actually pink. It's like a fairytale! This is a natural phenomenon in response to very high salt levels, high temperatures, sunlight and lack of rainfall. Algae growing in the salt crust at the bottom of the lake produces the red pigment (beta carotene) as part of its photosynthesis process and in response to the extremely high salt levels. Cool, right? Have you seen a pink lake before? You can watch the behind the scenes on Insta stories :) @visitmelbourne

A post shared by Ellen Grondijs | Australia (@ellenprojects) on Mar 9, 2017 at 12:30pm PST

 

*THE PINK LAKE* What a strange place! Apparently it's the algae in the water which turn it pink! #pinklake #melbourne #wanderlust #pink #westgatepark #saltwaterlake

A post shared by Alex | Gingey Bites (@gingeybites) on Mar 9, 2017 at 9:19pm PST

 

================= Location: Pink Lake, Middle Island, Western Australia. Credit by: @saltywings ================= #WonderfulPlacesToGo #Regram #Repost #Travel #TravelTheWorld #Travelgram #ExploreTheWorld #Wanderlust #Adventure #Landscape #Nature #Traveling #Instatravel #Instatraveling #PicOfTheDay #PhotoOfTheDay #Trip ================= Follow our sister page: @wonderful_ptg

A post shared by Wonderful Places To Go (@wonderful_places_to_go) on Mar 9, 2017 at 4:53am PST

Incredible shots of Pink Lake, Dimboola https://t.co/gx2Pah2DTn pic.twitter.com/kNaCcEWCrj

- Life (@theauslife) March 5, 2017

 

Found the pink lake #pinklake #melbourne

A post shared by Sherry Crystal (@sherryxox) on Mar 9, 2017 at 12:34am PST

What do you think of the curious pink lake? Let us know using the comments section below.