After weeks of high salt levels and temperatures in addition to lots of sunlight and little rainfall, the salt lake in Melbourne, Australia's Westgate Park turned a shocking shade of pink this week in a seasonal natural phenomenon.
"Algae growing in the salt crust at the bottom of the lake produces the red pigment (beta carotene) as part of its photosynthesis process and in response to the extremely high salt levels," Parks Victoria explained in a Facebook post.
While the natural phenomenon makes the water look beautiful, Parks Victoria warns people to look and not touch.
"Enjoy the views, but we recommend you don't come into contact with the water," the post reads.
That hasn't stopped people from flocking to the lake, however, to Instagram the pretty pink water.
If you want to see if for yourself, you're going to need to go soon. Parks Victoria says the water will return to its normally murky color (seen below) when the weather gets colder and rainier as Australia's summer comes to an end in the coming weeks.
Lyndsey Matthews is the Destination News Editor for AFAR; previously she was a Lifestyle Editor across all of Hearst Digital Media's brands, and a digital editor at Martha Stewart Weddings and Travel + Leisure.
