Everything you need to know about Lake Ballard
Western Australia is blessed to have such an incredible, unique landscape, like white sandy beaches, waterfalls, and red outback deserts. The state is also scattered with our famous, naturally occurring salt lakes, coming in all colours, shapes and sizes! One of our favourites is Lake Ballard, in the Goldfields region of the Golden Outback. Are you yet to visit this incredible lake? Here are 4 facts about it to encourage you to put it on your bucket list as soon as possible!
It’s home to the world’s largest outdoor art gallery
A world-renowned British artist named Antony Gormley created a display of 51 steel statues based on residents from the nearby town of Menzies. The sculptures travelled 780km from the foundry in Perth to the site on Lake Ballard, and it took a team of 18 volunteers, 4 days to install all 51 sculptures. These statues are scattered across 7 square kilometres of the vast, flat salt lake. From a distance, these sculptures appear ghostly and almost like a mirage on the horizon, but as you approach, they come to live and stand tall like a human being. Spend the better half of a day exploring these statues, walking from one to the other and soaking in the slightly eerie aura surrounding them! Watch their shadows change as the sun moves in the sky, changing the experience completely.
The consistency of the lake is always changing
Depending on the season in which you travel, you will experience a different covering on the salt lake. In the dryer, Summer months, you can expect a dry, cracked salty surface which is easy to explore and walk upon the crust. The blue skies above it make for an amazing contrast in colour, and this will have you walking around for hours! Winter brings rain, and this again changes the texture of the lake. The rain softens the crust, turning it into a sticky, muddy, consistency, which can make exploring slightly harder, although fun! We do recommend either attempting this barefoot or with boots suitable for this environment! The watery covering shimmers in the sunlight peeking between the clouds, and the pink colouring starts to show through. The in-between seasons of Autumn and Spring are the perfect time to visit, as this is when the weather is perfectly suited for this type of adventure.