Australia’s colossal landscape hosts an array of breath-taking natural wonders. Few inspire more awe than the iridescent waters of Lake MacDonnell, an aquatic spectacle and a hidden gem. This scarcely-believable body of water lies in the state of South Australia, at the eastern end of the Great Australian Bight.
It is a dream-like section of water that stuns tourists and delights photographers who make the effort to venture to the remote area, with intense and ever-changing shades of pink to one side of the causeway, and blue to the other.
A dream-like section of water
Lake MacDonnell lies in what was once a salt mine on Australia’s largest gypsum deposit.
The combination of the lake’s high salinity level with algae and bacteria that secrete carotenoid red pigments give the water its lipstick-pink hue, which is said to be at its brightest when the water level is at its lowest.
An elevated causeway splits the lake into two sections. This biscuit-coloured dirt strip, known as Point Sinclair Road, separates the northern-side’s rich blue-green waters from the famous magenta colours next door. Its splitting effect is powerful. It produces a contrast between the two water colours that sharpens the lake’s visual impact.
The effect is boosted by the white salt crusts that line the causeway’s bottom edges. From high above, it’s as if you’re looking down at a slice of birthday cake. Instagram struggles to convey Lake MacDonnell’s optical effects, despite the many photos captured and shared by visitors. You need to see it to believe it.
In some ways it resembles the Taycan Cross Turismo. Studying its performance figures and reading its reviews relay only so much – the real impact comes when you drive it. It’s a fitting parallel. The Neptune Blue Taycan 4S Cross Turismo’s adventure credentials make it ideal for experiencing Lake MacDonnell’s memory-etching beauty.
Its higher ground clearance and available Off-Road Design package more than meet the challenge of Australia’s harsh rural roads, and up to 1,200 litres of luggage space maximise its touring abilities.
Most of all, it’s the Taycan Cross Turismo’s silent electric drive system that makes it the ideal match for the lake’s serene surroundings. Two captivating figures: both of them quiet, powerful, and visually stunning.
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Photographer: Daniel Kalisz