Lake Hillier is located on the very edge of the Middle Island, an archipelago that stretches for tens of kilometers along the southern coast of Western Australia.
On all sides, the reservoir is surrounded by tall evergreen eucalyptus trees, which contrast sharply with the pink water of the lake, and only a narrow strip of land, consisting mainly of sand dunes, separates it from the ocean.
The unusual lake was discovered by the British navigator Matthew Flinders in 1802, deciding to stop on this island on the way to Sydney. The traveler was greatly surprised by the pink shades of a natural reservoir.
Over the next few years, many whalers and seal hunters sailed to Sredinny Island. Some of them preferred to settle on the island, so soon the first settlements appeared here.
At the beginning of the 20th century, salt mining began from the shores of Lake Hiller, but it lasted only 6 years. After that, this place was forgotten for many years, since it was not of practical use.
But in 1950, an expedition went to the pink lake in order to analyze the strange water. The researchers speculated that algae were responsible for the lake's unusual color, which combined with salt water to give the liquid its characteristic color.
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To the surprise of scientists, their guesses were not confirmed. Further research was never able to explain the characteristic pink color of the water. The mystery of Lake Hillier remained unsolved, which aroused the keen interest of travelers to the unusual reservoir.
This place also has its own legend, known to few sailors and even fewer land-based ones. According to her, in the 17th century, a ship caught in a storm sank in these waters. The only surviving sailor was thrown onto an uninhabited island.
The element pretty much crippled the lucky one. Because of the broken limbs, every movement brought pain, and the extraction of food turned into torture. A few weeks later, the sailor, distraught with pain and loneliness, exclaimed in his hearts: "I will sell my soul to the devil if this nightmare stops!"
At the same moment, a strange man emerged from the shadow of a nearby tree with two jugs in his hands: one contained blood, the other - milk. He walked slowly to a small lake and said: “Blood will help you forget what pain is. Milk will relieve you of hunger. You just have to plunge into these waters."
After that, the stranger poured the contents of the jugs into the lake, which made it change color. The sailor, who thought that he had lost his mind, slowly went into the suspicious pink water and dived, and when the strange man emerged, there was nowhere. To the traveler's surprise, not a trace of fractures and hunger remained.
Later, pirates landed on this island, who captured the poor sailor. Later the filibusters were alarmed by the fact that the prisoner did not feel pain and did not need food. Considering this a bad sign, the superstitious pirates threw the sailor overboard, not believing in his mystical story of miraculous healing.
It should be noted that the original name of the lake "Hiller" in pronunciation is absolutely consonant with the English word "Healer", which translates as "Healer" …