Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Top Destinations
Latest Places
Most Popular Places Random Place Lists Itineraries
Add a Place
Download the App
Top Destinations
View All Destinations »

Countries

  • Australia
  • Canada
  • China
  • France
  • Germany
  • India
  • Italy
  • Japan

Cities

  • Amsterdam
  • Barcelona
  • Beijing
  • Berlin
  • Boston
  • Budapest
  • Chicago
  • London
  • Los Angeles
  • Mexico City
  • Montreal
  • Moscow
  • New Orleans
  • New York City
  • Paris
  • Philadelphia
  • Rome
  • San Francisco
  • Seattle
  • Stockholm
  • Tokyo
  • Toronto
  • Vienna
  • Washington, D.C.
Latest Places
View All Places »
‘Be Someone’ Bridge
Four South African Nobel Peace Prize winners
Nobel Square
Faculty of Architecture Building
Chapora Fort
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Australia Fraser Island Lake McKenzie / Boorangoora

Lake McKenzie / Boorangoora

The only pollutant in the clear blue water is sunscreen.

Fraser Island, Australia

Added By
ser flac
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Lake McKenzie   Korkut Tas / CC BY-SA 3.0
Lake McKenzie   Lucas·G / CC BY-SA 4.0
Lake McKenzie   UrbanDruid / CC BY-SA 4.0
Lake Mackenzie   mtvanrooyen / Atlas Obscura User
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Located 100 meters above sea level, Lake McKenzie on Fraser Island is one of the most beautiful and well-known freshwater lakes in Australia. The lake is a "perched lake" meaning it exists well above the water table and is thus comprised of pure rainwater only.

This unique environment, along with the high levels of acidity in the lake, makes the water unsuitable for nearly all forms of plant and fish life. Without natural waste from plant and animal life, the lake is extremely pure. Strangely enough, the lake is too pure to sustain natural life that would otherwise inhabit its waters. Along with the clean water, the sand around Lake McKenzie is pure silica, giving the beach a shimmering white color. The famous heart-shaped-tree adds to the already pretty landscape.

Unfortunately, human introduced compounds, such as sunscreen, soaps, and lotions, which wash off bathers' bodies is a growing concern and could degrade the pristine blue lake.

 

Places

Discover your next amazing Atlas Place.

Get more unusual and extraordinary places each week with the Atlas Obscura Places newsletter.

Your newsletter subscriptions with us are subject to Atlas Obscura's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

Related Tags

Water

Know Before You Go

Drive 120 miles North of Brisbane and board a barge to Fraser Island. Buses are also available to a ferry

Community Contributors

Added By

serflac

Edited By

Blindcolour, caz, Michelle Cassidy, mtvanrooyen

  • Blindcolour
  • caz
  • Michelle Cassidy
  • mtvanrooyen

Published

September 23, 2011

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_McKenzie
  • https://www.ytravelblog.com/things-to-do-on-fraser-island/
Lake McKenzie / Boorangoora
Fraser Island, 4581
Australia
-25.447124, 153.056705

Nearby Places

SS Maheno

Fraser Island, Australia

miles away

The Story Bank

Maryborough, Australia

miles away

Mary Poppins Statue

Maryborough, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Fraser Island

Fraser Island

Australia

Places 2

Nearby Places

SS Maheno

Fraser Island, Australia

miles away

The Story Bank

Maryborough, Australia

miles away

Mary Poppins Statue

Maryborough, Australia

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Fraser Island

Fraser Island

Australia

Places 2

Related Places

  • Čučuci, Montenegro

    Čučuci Waterfall

    Tucked into the hills above Rafailovići, this small hidden waterfall offers a rare pocket of calm just minutes from Montenegro’s crowded Adriatic beaches.

  • Naruto Strait and its famed whirlpools

    Naruto, Japan

    Naruto Whirlpools

    The famed natural wonder that gave its name to a fishcake as well as one of the most popular anime series of all time.

  • Wallenborn, Germany

    Wallender Born 'Brubbel'

    A rare cold-water geyser that bubbles to life every half hour.

  • München, Germany

    Sendlinger Loch

    An abandoned construction pit in Munich that turned into an accidental urban lake.

  • Herve, Belgium

    Six Fontaines

    A Belgian town divided its water supply into six troughs, each with a specific use.

  • Fountain Hills, Arizona

    Fountain Hills Fountain

    An ambitious developer built what was once the world's tallest fountain in a Phoenix suburb.

  • Taipei, Taiwan

    Wulixue Irrigation Canal

    A preserved segment of the old irrigation canal recalls Taipei’s history as a “Water City.”

  • View from Interstate 10 of Julian Hinds Pumping Plant on the aqueduct

    Vidal Junction, California

    Colorado River Aqueduct

    This extraordinary project brings water from the Colorado River to Southern California.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2026 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.