Lake Tyrrell is a stunning pink salt crusted basin in the Mallee district of Victoria, about five hours drive from Melbourne, Australia. Visiting Lake Tyrrell is a beautiful adventure to share as a family and a lovely drive through the Victorian countryside to get there.
In winter, water flows underground from up to 50 kilometres away to pool in the lake, and pushes up through the salt crust, making a thin layer over the hard pink surface. The water creates incredible reflections at sunrise and sunset, and you can see why locals call it the sky mirror.
If you’re keen to explore more of Australia how about seeing incredible wombats in NSW, wallabies on the beach at sunrise in QLD or chasing waterfalls in Tropical North Queensland.
Ohh the sky and the water
At night you can gaze at the dazzling milky way, the sky is full of twinkling stars and when they are reflected in the water you’re standing in a universe of stars that the Indigenous people of the area revered for centuries.
I’d wanted to visit Lake Tyrrell for years and so Emmie and I flew to Melbourne, jumped in a camper van and set off for the town of Sea Lake.
Our amazing campervan hanging out next to a big pink pond
The Boorong people and Lake Tyrrell
The indigenous custodians of the land in Lake Tyrrell, the Boorong people who had a special interest in the constellations in the night sky. They told stories about the universe of stars reflected in the mirror-like surface of the lake. The lived under a never-ending sky and could tell seasons and time by the stars.
The settlers and farmers who came later didn’t pay too much attention to the lake for many years, and only recently has tourism started growing with visitors to the lake. There are plans for a lake boardwalk and other developments to encourage more tourism. I reckon get there soon while it’s still wild.
From the sky…
The town of Sea Lake
Sea Lake is the closest town to Lake Tyrrell, only about 10 minutes away down the Calder Highway from the viewing platform and main lake entrance. It’s in the middle of Australia’s wheat belt and surrounded by wheat farming properties. The railway came here in 1893 and the community grew – the post office arrived in 1895.
Because of its position in the wheat belt, Sea Lake is close to the Silo Art Trail and now has it’s own painted silos and is part of the Art Trail, with gorgeous painting of the GrainCorp silos by Joel Fergie, aka The Zookeeper and Travis Vinson, aka Drapl.
The silos are now a huge canvas showing a young girl swinging from a mallee eucalyptus tree and looking out over the lake. There’s also a recreational lake, Green Lake, just 10 kilometres down the road where people go to swim and boat.
The stunning silos
How to get there
Lake Tyrrell is about a five hour drive from Melbourne. You can drive direct ( as we did, desperate to get straight to the lake) or if you have more time you can meander your way along, following the Silo Art Trail or stopping at Echuca, or Swan Hill on the way. We found the roads to be fine, and there are lots of little towns to stop at for a break and a coffee and petrol stations along the way – some unmanned and fully automated! We loved our drive, Victoria really is a gorgeous state to drive through.
You could also fly to Mildura and drive from there – it’s only a two hour drive. You can find car hire prices from Mildura Airport here.
The town is developing to encourage more tourism under the guidance of a team of locals who are working hard to put it on the map. Take a look at the new murals along main street and the new childrens’ play area.
Welcome to this amazing little town
Sea Lakes’s main street has a few coffee shops that make great coffee and an Emmie approved bacon and egg breakfast. There’s a visitors centre at the end of the street, a pub and a shop selling local produce, and a small supermarket.
Make sure to stop into the Sky Mirror Art Gallery run by local Rohan that stocks beautiful photos of the lake – you can stay in the villa here too. . Contact Julie at Sea Lake Tyrrell tours for a tour of the lake and secret spots.
One of Sea Lake’s new murals
Where to stay
We stayed at the rest stop just off the main street. It’s run by a group of local volunteers and a powered site for two people cost us $20 a night – your money goes into the honesty box. It has an amenities block and a kitchen/common area and is in a great position, we felt completely safe. For info contact Murray on 0427 701 261 or just rock up. You can camp here too.
For Lake Tyrrell camping and caravan spots contact The Green Lake caravan park. It’s about 10kms south of Sea Lake and has 68 powered sites. Contact Trudy on (03) 5070 1058.
There are a few places to stay in Sea Lake – you can check them out here and find prices.
The Sea Lake Motel has a swimming pool and has rooms and cottages.
Rohan from the Sky Mirror Art Gallery also has accommodation – Sky Mirror Villa and Sky Mirror Cottage are beautifully renovated and in the centre of town. You can check prices and availability here.
Emmie getting creative!
The best time of day to visit Lake Tyrrell
The best time to visit Lake Tyrrell is at sunrise and sunset, although any time of day is fine, especially when you have a few clouds dotted around the sky for beautiful reflections in the water. If you’re there in the drier months you’ll find little water but lots of pink salt, and from September the algae in the lake turns the salt an iridescent pink.
Follow the Calder Highway out of town and on your right you’ll see a sign to the Lake Tyrrell viewing area. It’s not really the best area to see the lake but it has some info and background to read before you move closer to the lake and wander out through the scrub and the mud. Kids will love it – take a change of clothes as someone is bound to slip or sink in. The other access point is down Saltworks Road, another 10 minutes down the Calder Highway.
Be super careful driving, you’ll need a 4 wheel drive due to the softness of the sand. It may look firm but be prepared to sink if you linger too long or if you’re driving over wet patches.
Little lost unicorn
Can I walk on Lake Tyrrell?
You can but be prepared to sink in the mud on the outer edges! Bring gumboots or hire them from the Visitors Information Centre. Walk out into the lake to get the incredible reflection photos, where the surface is firmer too and you won’t sink in! You can also walk around the outside and explore the area around the lake itself.
What to take to Lake Tyrrell
- Camera and tripod
- Drone for aerial photography of the beautiful salt flow
- Gumboots in case of mud
- Light jacket in summer, winter clothes in winter!
- A picnic
- Sunscreen
- Water.
The best time to go to Lake Tyrrell:
Lake Tyrrell is amazing at any time of year. In the winter months you’ll have water and more reflections, and in summer it will be hot and pink.
If you really want to see Lake Tyrrell’s amazing reflections then June – August is the best time as there will likely be a thin layer of water on the salt crust.
We went in June and it was everything we expected.
And if you’re feeling nervous about travelling check out our comprehensive family travel safety guide HOLIDAY SAFE: The complete guide to staying safe when traveling with kids It has everything you need to know about traveling safely on our family holiday or extended trip.