Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters

Take your next trip with Atlas Obscura!

Our small-group adventures are inspired by our Atlas of the world's most fascinating places, the stories behind them, and the people who bring them to life.

Visit Adventures
Trips Highlight
Puglia Italy - Matera
Italy • 8 days, 7 nights
Southern Italy: Castles, Caves & Coastal Treasures in Puglia
from
Turkmenistan Gates of Hell Darvaza crater
Turkmenistan • 10 days, 9 nights
Turkmenistan & the Gates of Hell
from
View all trips
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
Pinal Airpark
Note the chrysanthemum crests.
Hachiman Bridge
Clarendon War Memorial.
Clarendon War Memorial
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Latest Places to Eat & Drink
View All Places to Eat »
This fried chicken is one of Bangkok’s most famous.
Gai Tord Jae Kee
Chefs Aruss Lerlerstkull and Atcharaporn Kiatthanawat lean into regional traditions.
Charmgang
The khao soi at Gedhawa comes with a rich, coconutty broth.
Gedhawa
At Nai Mong Hoi Thod, the oyster omelet is worth waiting for.
Nai Mong Hoi Thod
In this deceptively simple dish, top-quality ingredients are paramount.
Kor Panich
Recent Stories
All Stories Video Podcast
Most Recent Stories
View All Stories »
Haleakalā National Park’s summit region, shrouded in the pre-dawn fog.
Beware the Legends Behind These National Park Souvenirs
3 days ago
For Aguilar-Carrasco, nature is a powerful reminder of the interconnectedness of all life.
How Can National Parks Be Made Accessible to All? AO Wants to Know.
3 days ago
Podcast: Finding ‘The Great Gatsby’ in Louisville
4 days ago
Here’s which treats you can safely lug home without risking a fine.
Dear Atlas: What International Food Can I Legally Bring Into the U.S.?
6 days ago

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Australia Yallabatharra Hutt Lagoon

Hutt Lagoon

A massive concentration of algae is responsible for this lake's pink hue.

Yallabatharra, Australia

Added By
vgogan
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
Hutt Lagoon   Mayall/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Hutt Lagoon   Mayall/ullstein bild via Getty Images
Hutt Lagoon Geometry   MarkTimeTravel / Atlas Obscura User
Hutt Lagoon Tree   MarkTimeTravel / Atlas Obscura User
Hutt Lagoon Sections from the Air   MarkTimeTravel / Atlas Obscura User
Hutt Lagoon in Western Australia   Kristina D.C. Hoeppner via Wikimedia
The pink waters of Hutt Lagoon   Samuel Orchard via Wikimedia
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Hutt Lagoon in Western Australia is pink. It’s also a very particular kind of farm.

This 70-square-kilometer salt lake is located north of the mouth of the Hutt River. (The Principality of Hutt River, the oldest micronation in Australia, is also in these parts and claims to have been an independent sovereign state since 1970. But that’s another story.) Due to the lagoon’s position below sea level, seawater seeps into it year round through a beach barrier ridge, while freshwater comes in from nearby springs. The high evaporation rate is unable to balance the incursion of salt, making Hutt Lagoon an incredibly saline environment.

The kind of organisms best suited to salt evaporation ponds are algaes with high concentrations of beta-carotene, which protects them against the intense light. Beta-carotene is used commercially by humans as a food-coloring agent and source of Vitamin A, making Hutt Lagoon an attractive algae-farming site.

The lake currently contains the world’s largest microalgae production plant, sized at around 620 acres. From above, it looks like a patchwork quilt, as artificial ponds ranging in color from bright pink to copper red develop different kinds of carotenoid algaes in varying concentrations.

Related Tags

Color Lakes Farms Water

Community Contributors

Added By

vgogan

Edited By

hana, Blindcolour, MarkTimeTravel, Michelle Cassidy

  • hana
  • Blindcolour
  • MarkTimeTravel
  • Michelle Cassidy

Published

October 20, 2015

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hutt_Lagoon
  • http://www.amusingplanet.com/2013/05/farming-algae-in-hutt-lagoon-western.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Principality_of_Hutt_River
  • http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2332610/Australias-beautiful-bright-pink-farms-producing-ALGAE-end-vitamin-pills--ice-cream.html
Hutt Lagoon
Yallabatharra, 6535
Australia
-28.133333, 114.216667

Nearby Places

Lynton Convict Hiring Depot

Yallabatharra, Australia

miles away

Principality of Hutt River

Yallabatharra, Australia

miles away

West Wallabi Island

Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Yallabatharra

Yallabatharra

Australia

Places 2

Nearby Places

Lynton Convict Hiring Depot

Yallabatharra, Australia

miles away

Principality of Hutt River

Yallabatharra, Australia

miles away

West Wallabi Island

Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Yallabatharra

Yallabatharra

Australia

Places 2

Related Places

  • A turquoise Lago Coatepeque.

    El Salvador

    Lago Coatepeque

    This color-changing crater lake in El Salvador is occasionally impenetrable to sunlight.

  • An aerial view of the pink waters of Lake Atanasovsko.

    Nessebar, Bulgaria

    Lake Atanasovsko

    One of the world’s only pink lakes where it's possible to take a dip.

  • Laguna Verde seen from Licancabur, with Laguna Blanca behind it.

    Bolivia

    Laguna Verde

    This lake’s emerald green waters are a spectacular sight, but it’s not a great place for a swim.

  • Big Almaty Lake in September.

    Almaty, Kazakhstan

    Big Almaty Lake

    A brilliant turquoise lake in the mountains.

  • Laguna Rosa, Torrevieja, Spain

    Torrevieja, Spain

    The Pink Lake of Torrevieja

    Bacteria and algae give the salty water its bubblegum hue.

  • Lake Urmia as a result of water loss and increased salinity

    East Azerbaijan Province, Iran

    Lake Urmia

    This lake in northwest Iran has started turning from green to red more frequently than scientists are comfortable with.

  • Little Limestone Lake

    Manitoba

    Little Limestone Lake

    The world's largest and most outstanding marl lake regularly changes color.

  • Watkins Home

    Kearney, Missouri

    Watkins Woolen Mill

    One of America's first planned communities is preserved in a state park.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.