There are three ways to see the amazing pink Lake Hillier in Esperance this summer New HeliSpirit helicopter tours in Esperance including to the pink Lake Hillier and in January only you can cruise to Lake Hillier with Esperance Cruises and take a scenic flight with every seat a window seat with Goldfields Air Service, with the fascination with Esperance’s pink Lake Hillier continues and now there’s a new way for visitors to see it.HeliSpirit has launched new tours that includes scenic helicopter flights over Esperance’s Recherche Archipelago, Cape Le Grand and Cape Arid National Parks, including Woody Lake, Frenchman Peak, Lucky Bay, Hellfire Bay, Blue Haven, Twilight Bay and Lake Hillier, Middle Island, besides showcasing Esperance’s natural wonders via unparalleled aerial views, HeliSpirit offers the opportunity to land on Middle Island for a guided walk around the bubble-gum pink lake.
HeliSpirit has partnered with a local tourism operator to provide helicopter transfers to Woody Island so that guests can join the Woody Island Eco Tours offered or self-explore the island, with HeliSpirit Managing Director, Michael McConachy, saying that by introducing this new tourism product into the Esperance region, he is confident it will not only help to attract more visitors, but also encourage visitors to stay longer and travel in shoulder periods, adding, “Esperance is an important new base for HeliSpirit and we are proud to be committing to the region for this venture; we are confident it is going to be a success and hope that it provides benefits for all involved”.
There’s a rare chance for visitors to get closer to the pink lake Instagram sensation and that’s with a cruise to Middle Island set to sail on limited dates in January with Esperance Island Cruises where they’ll be able to marvel at the phenomenon from the lake’s viewing platform. Esperance Island Cruise manager Jaimen Hudson said that they only operate the cruise to Middle Island on limited dates in January, adding, “It’s a really special tour and very few people have the opportunity to get up close to Lake Hillier because it’s extremely isolated – it takes about two hours to cruise there from the Duke of Orleans which is 100 kilometres east of Esperance”. The added benefits of taking the cruise on the 60-foot vessel are the wildlife encounters along the way, such as dolphins playing at the bow of the boat, a stop at the campground ruins of Australia’s only recorded pirate, Black Jack Anderson and the beautiful scenery.
Another way to see Lake Hillier is by taking a scenic flight with Goldfields Air Services where every seat is a window seat, with visitors having an option to add a half day tour with Esperance Island Cruises around the Recherche Archipelago, with the scenic flight path following Esperance Bay past Frenchman’s Peak and over the Cape Le Grand National Park where guests will see Australia’s white beaches as certified by Geoscience Australia, as well as the stunning turquoise waters of Lucky Bay, before continuing through the Recherche Archipelago to Middle Island and the world-renowned pink lake. The total flight time is about one hour and 40 minutes.
The only other way visitors can see Lake Hillier is by chartering a plane, helicopter or boat.
Entirely natural, research shows that Lake Hillier’s vibrant pink colour comes from 10 species of salt-loving bacteria, archaea and several species of Dunaliella algae that are almost all pink, red or salmon-coloured.
Esperance is a domestic tourism hotspot, renowned for its white-sand coastline, unique national parks, abundant marine life and the famed pink lakes that each year attracts more than 190,000 visitors.
Australia’s Golden Outback CEO Marcus Falconer said that visitors are encouraged to book their Esperance tours now to avoid disappointment, adding, “The COVID-19 travel restrictions have seen Esperance boom in popularity, which is great news for not just tourism businesses, but all Esperance businesses, and “Summer and autumn are a perfect time to visit Esperance enjoy the unique and fantastic attractions of the area”.
Top five things to do in and near Esperance
- Visit Australia’s whitest beach, Lucky Bay situated within the Cape Le Grand National Park where the landscape changes from massive granite outcrops to freshwater pools and unbelievably white sandy beaches with views over many islands. Don’t forget to say g’day to Lucky Bay’s resident kangaroos, often found sunbaking on the beach.
- Take a cruise among 100 or so untouched islands that make up the Archipelago of the Recherche, known by the locals as the Bay of Isles, where you can see amazing wildlife including the second largest predatory bird in Australia, the white-bellied sea eagle that has a wing span of 220 centimetres, barren geese and colonies of sea lions and fur seals. The Recherche Archipelago is pristine wilderness at its best.
- Visit the stunning Fitzgerald River National Park, a UNESCO recognised, international biosphere with over 1,800 beautiful and unique species of plants, 22 species of mammal, 200 bird species as well as 41 species of reptiles. It is one of the largest and most botanically significant national parks in Australia and blooms with a variety of wildflowers all year.
- The scenic Great Ocean Drive is a 40-kilometre self-drive loop past stunning beaches, rocky headlands, steep cliffs, small bays and hidden ocean pools. stop at Nine Mile Beach to watch colourful windsurfers float across the water’s glassy top, and make time to see Twilight Cove, where you’ll spot spectacular rock formations that curve and loop out of the water. When you finally arrive back in town, head to the Rotary lookout for a view back across the coastline.
- Check out other proven trails such as the Ravensthorpe installation of the Silo Art Trail that includes a 25 metre high wildflower inspired mural painted across three CBH Group silos, or visit the stunning locations that feature in the film Dirt Music, adapted from Tim Winton’s novel.
A report by John Alwyn-Jones
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