Loch Iel is part of the Wotjobaluk Aboriginal cultural landscape. The Wotjobaluk, Jaadwa, Jadawadjali, Wergaia and Jupagalk Peoples, The Traditional Owners of this land, welcome you to Country. The Wotjobaluk People retain a close link with their land and continue to care for Country. Loch Iel provides an important connection to country.

Follow the Western Highway, north of Dimboola and Little Desert National Park, to discover one of Victoria’s most picturesque pink salt lakes. For budding photographers, this incredible, sometimes surreal, landscape is a dream. 

The water’s edge is dotted with shady yellow gumtrees and salt paperbarks and the vast reflective waters of Loch Iel offer a beautiful spot to unwind. If you’re walking around the lake’s edge, keep your eye out for small and distinctive salt tolerant plants that grow in this rare environment. For many years, the salt was commercially harvested from the lake and rusted-out relics of a mining operation long closed are scattered around the lake as reminders of its history.

The lake’s unique pink hue comes from a pigment secreted by microscopic algae found in Loch Iel’s extra salty wetlands. The intensity of the pink varies depending on the season, temperature, cloud cover and water level. After a large downpour, fresh nutrients wash into the lake, which in turn trigger the growth of algae. Sometimes it's a bright bubble-gum pink and at other times it's a light salmon. While the iconic pink hue can’t be guaranteed, the beautiful changing shades of this lake will not disappoint.

Getting to Pink Lake is easy; it’s located right next to the Western Highway. Next to the highway is a rest stop and Loch Iel Reserve, from where you can easily take in views of the lake. Alternatively, visitors can also make a short trek to the edge of the lake from the rest stop.

Facilities such as picnic seating, shelters and toilets can be found by the car park. The lookout point is equipped with tables; from here you can enjoy panoramic views of Pink lake.