NSW protects first pink lakes: governments buy Pulgamurtie Station

Pink lakes within the New South Wales national parks estate will be protected for the first time after the NSW and Australian governments jointly purchased Pulgamurtie Station, a 74,000-hectare property about 235 kilometres north-east of Broken Hill. This landscape is home to more than 70 threatened species, including the iconic brolga, pink cockatoo and slender darling pea.Two lakes, plenty of skyPink lakes are rare in NSW, and many appear only in certain seasons. The two on Pulgamurtie are among the state's most spectacular natural wonders. Their peculiar hues occur naturally due to the presence of certain microorganisms, including algae and bacteria, that thrive in highly salty water and produce pink pigments.The station covers more than 74,000 hectares. Beyond the lakes, it has sweeping outback plains, rolling sand dunes and thriving wetlands. The larger lakes and wetlands are critical feeding and breeding grounds for thousands of waterbirds, including some migratory species that travel between Australia, Russia, China and Japan.NSW Environment Minister Penny Sharpe said the purchase is a rare chance to protect the natural environment and its threatened biodiversity. “These wil...