The Pink Lake at the End of the Line: Chasing the Elusive Sky Mirror
I pre-warned my friends: “Send a search party if I’m not home in five days.”
Attempting to reach Lake Tyrrell, a remote pink lake in the Wimmera, by public transport felt foolhardy. I imagined myself like Kate Winslet in The Dressmaker, albeit not so well dressed, standing by the side of a dusty track waiting for a bus to come.
My journey would involve two country train trips, two coach connections, and, even if I could get to Sea Lake, the closest township to Lake Tyrrell, it would still be a 2.5-hour walk to the water -if the lake had any water in it.
Lake Tyrrell is a rare mirror lake; it reflects the sky and is utterly mesmerising at sunrise and sunset. The salt crystals can make it appear pink. While I am not a serious photographer, even amateurs like me using their phones find shooting this remarkable dreamscape a dream come true.
Why I Chose Public Transport
I could have driven, but I’d tried driving once before. That trip started with a couple of days in Bendigo, and then I followed portions of the Wimmera Mallee Silo Art Trail, which stretches more than 200 kilometres between Rupanyup and Sea Lake.
When I arrived at the Royal Sea Lake Hotel, there was no room at the inn.
The manager suggested trying nearby Woomelang (population 191).
“A couple are doing up an old hotel. They might have some rooms ready.”
They did, and there I met an overflow of other travellers from Sea Lake who couldn’t get a room. The seven of us gelled over a few drinks, talking about our lives and travels. It felt like a scene from Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales.
The next morning, I was heading back to Sea Lake when one of these fellow travellers pulled me over. “I hate to tell you this,” she said, “But your brake light’s gone!”
I made some rapid calculations. It was Sunday; the mechanics were closed, and while I was in the RACV, if I required a tow, the nearest main centre was Swan Hill, an hour away in the wrong direction.
I’d accomplished my main objective, the silo trail. The sensible option was to return to Melbourne, a five-hour drive including driver-revive stops.
I hit Melbourne’s outskirts as darkness descended. It was still peak hour, so I drove slowly in the left-hand lane. If the driver behind saw only one brake light, they might assume I was a motorcycle. I felt like an accident waiting to happen.
Closer to home, I wove in and out of back streets so I wouldn’t get picked up for driving an unroadworthy car. When I finally limped home, I felt defeated.
There and then, I promised I’d get back to Lake Tyrrell one day, but I wouldn’t drive there again. I’d take public transport.
The Reason for the Journey
The journey finally materialised when my son decided to enter the Ballarat Marathon. I wanted to go and cheer him on.
Train travel was the obvious choice, given Victoria’s free public transport, including regional services through April and May 2026, followed by half-price fares until January 1, 2027. Plus, seniors can always travel free statewide on weekends.
Given I’d already be outside Melbourne, I figured I’d keep going to Sea Lake.
What did I have to lose? Except myself.
The Devil is in the Details
To ensure the steps in this trip aligned this time, I planned the trip in reverse. My biggest problem was getting to the lake.
I recalled a local operator called Sealake Tyrrell Tours. I spoke with the owner, Julie Pringle, who assured me she could provide a pickup right from my accommodation.
Then I booked my accommodation and gave her the details.
The other tricky part was getting from Ballarat to Bendigo.
Google Maps had me backtracking and taking a train back through Footscray.
It didn’t make sense that two major regional centres wouldn’t have connecting transport.
So I rang PTV.
They have a phone service that helps people organise complex journeys (phone 1800 800 007). When I explained my suspicion that there must be a better connection, they confirmed a coach ran from Geelong via Ballarat and then on to Bendigo.
This route would take only 2 hours and 15 minutes, rather than Google Maps’ proposed four-hour detour back through Melbourne.
Better still, I’d still have time for lunch in Bendigo, a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.
My Concerns About Regional Travel
Normally, you can pre-book certain regional journeys, but not while travel is free. It was first-come, first-served.
Recent images of crowded trains had made me nervous. But social media usually shows the worst-case scenarios, not the best.
And I am here to assure you that such trips can work.
The Reality of Travelling by Public Transport
I travelled to Ballarat in the middle of the day to avoid crowds.
The train from Southern Cross was initially busy, but most passengers disembarked at suburban stations such as Footscray and Melton. I had a seat for the entire journey.
My Airbnb host picked me up at Ballarat Station. She couldn’t drop me off two days later, but Ballarat has Ubers.
At Ballarat Station, staff assured me that V/Line has to provide an additional coach if the first one fills. People can stand on trains. Coaches require seat belts.
In reality, there were never more than a handful of people on my coaches. One coach could hold up to 55 passengers.
I arrived in Bendigo around midday with hours to explore before my Sea Lake coach.
The luggage office held my suitcase. They only do this if you are on a long regional journey and have hours to wait.
Steve, the V/Line coach driver, dropped me off at Sea Lake at dinnertime. I know his name because when he picked me up two days later, I was his only passenger for the long first leg.
Luckily, with an early-morning start, the coach stop was directly outside my hotel. I can honestly attest that every one of my V-Line services arrived and departed on time. I hadn’t expected that.
As a Seniors in Melbourne writer, I made a point of checking out places I visited so I could list spots within walking distance of the stations that readers might wish to visit.
Ballarat: Gold Rush Grandeur Near the Station
Catching a train from Southern Cross Station to Ballarat was a breeze—the journey took around an hour and a half.
Ballarat Station is considered one of Victoria’s finest 19th-century railway complexes, with its enormous train hall.
Some of the city’s most impressive gold-rush buildings are within easy walking distance.
A short stroll down Lydiard Street leads to the ornate Ballarat Mining Exchange, a reminder of the city’s extraordinary 1800s trading wealth.
Craig’s Royal Hotel, reminiscent of Melbourne’s Windsor, still features sweeping staircases, chandeliers and a beautiful glass-roofed atrium. High teas are held on the first Sunday of each month.
The Art Gallery of Ballarat, one of my all-time favourite places, is currently undergoing upgrades and is expected to reopen in mid-2027.
But swings and roundabouts — the beautifully restored Palace Regent Cinemas Ballarat (1928) has just reopened.
Meanwhile, the Ballarat Goods Shed has transformed a historic railway site into a vibrant hospitality precinct, including the Itinerant Spirits distillery and cocktail bar.
For coffee and light meals, I loved L’Espresso, which my Airbnb host recommended.
We dined at the atmospheric Cattleya Thai Signature restaurant. Marathon runners apparently need something carb-heavy like pad see ew the night before a race.
After the others headed back to Melbourne, I checked out Grainery Lane, a saloon-style cocktail bar bringing back the glitz and glamour of Ballarat’s gold-rush days.
For other suggestions and tips on getting to attractions such as Sovereign Hill from the station, see Amy’s article. For my guide to easy-to-walk-to attractions, see the breakout at the end of this story.
Bendigo Between Coaches
The coach from Ballarat to Bendigo made quick stops through Creswick, Daylesford and Harcourt.
When I arrived in Bendigo, I had four hours to explore before my Sea Lake connection.
At first, I was slightly disoriented because the station sits just outside the main precinct.
When in doubt, ask a local.
A woman in the hearing centre pointed me towards the pedestrian crossing that wends through the vast shopping centre carpark and ends in Mitchell Street, where you turn left for the city centre. She also recommended Bayleaf, along the way known for generous Greek-style meals such as moussaka and spanakopita, for lunch.
Bendigo is packed with grand gold-rush architecture, cafés, shady parks and colourful street art.
Pall Mall is one of Bendigo’s showpieces, lined with elaborate historic buildings, statues and gardens. Rosalind Park sits just beyond it and is ideal for a gentle stroll beneath the trees.
If you have time, consider a 2.5-hour culinary walking tour that also traces Bendigo’s rise from a goldfield to a UNESCO City of Gastronomy.
Need more ideas? Here are Amy’s Great Tips for Bendigo. For my guide to easy-to-walk-to attractions, see the breakout at the end of this story.
24 Hours in Sea Lake Without a Car
I reached the Royal Sea Lake Hotel. It was a Monday night.
The locals were in the bar, and it was very much a locals’ atmosphere. Being the only tourist, I didn’t feel part of it. So, I dined in the dining room expecting I’d meet other tourists, but there weren’t any.
The Royal Sea Lake Hotel Story
The Royal Hotel Sea Lake is a success story for the town and a destination in its own right.
If you know the story of the Silo Art Trail, you will know that transforming grain silos into nationally recognised artworks was designed to inject life and tourism dollars back into struggling regional communities.
Sea Lake itself was slowly fading.
The town’s other pub burned down in April 2017, and the Royal Hotel was condemned and put up for mortgagee auction.
You’ve heard of a pub without beer; this was almost an Australian town without a pub. Unheard of!
In 2018, local farmers and expats banded together to purchase the condemned building.
Within a week, more than 80 community members had turned up with tools, trucks and brooms to begin restoring it.
The hotel became a community co-op, allowing locals to buy shares to help fund the restoration and reopened in 2019.
Arriving seven years later, however, I sensed that things had evolved again.
Many of the workers I met were young overseas travellers with work visas.
On my coach ride into town, a young English couple was arriving to begin working at the hotel. For the next six months, their lives were packed into their heavy backpacks.
The Royal itself is striking, its red brickwork glowing in the Mallee golden hour. Wide cast-iron balconies provide the perfect setting for a quiet evening drink.
While shared bathrooms may not suit everybody, I found the accommodation comfortable and reasonably priced.
The next morning, I became so caught up in online work that by the time I thought about lunch, it was already 2.30 pm. Places that might have fed me were closed.
Fortunately, the pub offered to make me a pizza.
One of the advantages of Sea Lake is that you don’t need a car to explore the town.
You can comfortably walk around the centre, including the silos, murals and galleries, within 30 to 45 minutes. Allow longer if you stop for coffee, browse galleries and photograph the public art.
Just make sure you do most things in the morning while most venues are open.
Here’s a list of what you can walk to in Sea Lake. Times are from the Sea Lake Hotel; it’s not long, so I’ll put it below
| Place | Approx. walk from the Royal Sea Lake Hotel | Why it stands out |
| Skymirror Gallery Cafe & Accommodation | 2–3 mins | Photography gallery focused on Lake Tyrrell reflections |
| Sea Lake Visitor Information Centre | 2–3 mins | Useful for maps and local advice |
| Best Street | 1–2 mins | Main strip with murals, cafés and old shopfronts |
| Sea Lake Street Murals | 2–10 mins | Public murals featuring local stories and farming imagery |
| Sea Lake Water Tower | 6–7 mins | Good photography spot |
| Public Art Walk | 5–15 mins loop | Easy self-guided public art walk |
The Space In Between
The highlight, with 24-hour access, is the silo artwork The Space In Between. You will find the silo along the railway line, about a 7-8-minute walk away.
The massive artwork depicts a young girl on a swing suspended from a Mallee eucalyptus branch, gazing over the vast salt lake beneath dramatic dawn and dusk skies.
Artists Drapl (Travis Vinson) and The Zookeeper (Joel Fergie) used Lake Tyrrell to symbolise stillness, solitude and the enormous open skies of the Mallee.
The Indigenous word “Tyrille” is often interpreted as meaning “space opening to the sky”, a fitting description for a place famous for mirror-like reflections and vast horizons.
The artwork also references Aboriginal astronomy traditions.
There are evening cinematic illuminations of the silo that are worth coming back for. Timetable here.
As I walked back through town, I noticed enormous trucks thundering past and giant John Deere machinery lined up outside the local dealership.
Everything in the Mallee seems oversized — especially the incredible skies.
Visiting Lake Tyrrell and How a Desolate Lake Became Famous
Julie Pringle picked me up outside the hotel in her gigantic 4WD.
I was the only person on the tour, so I appreciated that she honoured the booking I had made weeks earlier.
She explained why tourism numbers had changed.
“I could always see the potential of Lake Tyrrell as an attraction, as it is wildly beautiful. In 2014, I asked someone to post photographs of Lake Tyrrell on Chinese social media. After images of its mirror-like surface went viral on WeChat, it became known as a real-life ‘Sky Mirror’, and tourism exploded.”
The town struggled to accommodate the influx. Possibly why I couldn’t get accommodation last time I tried. But Chinese tourist numbers have not returned to pre-pandemic levels.
Lucky me. As I had Julie, her expertise and her spacious vehicle to myself.
I was worried about accessibility. Walking out into the lake for photographs seemed potentially risky.
But Julie had brought along a gorgeous pair of sure-footed red gum boots for me.
After years of working with international visitors who were also keen photographers, and I’m guessing a number of influencers, she knew every trick for capturing the perfect reflection shot.
Sunset, Salt and Wide Open Skies
She had me stand so the rising moon looked like a glowing orb in my hands, and as I was also wearing Peter Pan-style boots, I briefly felt like I’d caught Tinker Bell.
Julie’s high-chassied vehicle allowed us to reach the less accessible sections of the lake, where pink salt is harvested. Salt formations clung to tumbleweed and debris, creating strange natural sculptures.
It felt otherworldly.
On the other side, a regular road leads to multi-million-dollar tourist facilities, including a boardwalk and night-sky viewing lounge. Lake Tyrrell is a Dark Sky Reserve due to minimal light pollution.
But the more remote parts of the lake that Julie could drive to fascinated me most.
I thoroughly recommend this experience.
I’m glad I finally reached the dreamscape that is Lake Tyrrell. It was worth all that planning, and V/Line did not fail me.
Employee of the Month
I would have to self-dub Steve, my incredible V/Line coach driver who regularly does the Sea Lake to Bendigo run, V/Line’s Employee of the Month.
At every stop, he faithfully pulled over and opened the coach doors in tiny country towns, even when there wasn’t a potential passenger in sight. It was simply the way he believed the job should be done.
When I boarded the bus at 5.40 am, Steve had already been up for hours.
He had completed his early morning walk and meticulously prepared the coach for the day ahead.
The floors were spotless, the toilet cleaned, and he had buckled every seat belt closed so passengers could easily find the ends and know they were working properly.
He knew his regular passengers by name and genuinely worried when somebody he expected to see did not appear.
It is drivers and characters like Steve who make travelling on V/Line feel less like public transport and more like a genuinely human country experience.
The Joys of Public Transport
After returning to Melbourne, I caught a tram home from Southern Cross Station.
On board was a couple in their mid-90s returning from a day trip to Bendigo.
The man told me he had experienced a medical episode five years earlier, and his doctor had advised him to stop driving.
“And because of that episode, I can’t travel overseas anymore either,” he said.
“No one will insure me. But I have discovered the joys of public transport. I have a tram right outside my door, and it comes every three minutes. I now wonder why I wasted so many years of my life driving.”
He wore a jaunty cap while his partner sported bright orange dangling earrings.
They were quite a couple, charming everybody on board with their chatter.
As I watched and listened to them, I realised public transport is not just about necessity.
For many people, it can become a gateway to new experiences, spontaneous adventures and a more connected way of moving through the world.
And perhaps that is something worth embracing long before somebody tells us we have to use it.
My Travel Tips in Retrospect
- If you are heading to a small country town, plan in reverse. Can you get accommodation? Will the attractions you want to visit actually be open?
- Based on my first failed attempt to reach Sea Lake, I also wish I’d upgraded my RACV roadside assistance plan. Extra Care includes regional towing and support for accommodation or rental vehicles if you break down far from home.
- For complicated regional journeys, phone the PTV helpline on 1800 800 007 or visit the help desk at Southern Cross Station.
- At regional stations, ask for a printed bus timetable. They are tiny — about the size of your hand — but invaluable. Getting somewhere is one thing. Getting out is another.
- Try to travel outside peak periods. One of the joys of semi-retirement is having the flexibility to avoid the busiest times.
- Use the Transport Victoria Journey Planner to find routes, timetables, and disruptions. The official apps are available for download depending on your device:
Apple: Get the Public Transport Victoria App on the App StoreAndroid: Get the Public Transport Victoria App on Google Play
A GUIDE TO WHAT’S NEAR BALLARAT STATION
| Building or attraction | Approx. Walk from the station | Why it stands out |
| Ballarat Station | At station | Grand 1860s railway architecture and historic train hall |
| Craig’s Royal Hotel | 3–4 mins | Gold-rush luxury hotel with monthly high teas |
| Palace Regent Cinemas Ballarat | 3 mins | Recently revived heritage picture palace |
| Cobb’s Coffee | 2–3 mins | Handy specialty coffee stop almost opposite the station |
| L’Espresso | 4–5 mins | Popular café for coffee and light meals |
| Ballarat Goods Shed | 5 mins | Revitalised railway precinct with food and drink venues |
| Itinerant Spirits Cocktail Bar & Distillery | 5 mins | New distillery venue inside the historic Goods Shed |
| Cattleya Thai Signature | 5–6 mins | Stylish modern Thai restaurant |
| Grainery Lane | 6 mins | Dining and bar precinct in converted warehouse buildings |
| Ballarat Mining Exchange | 6 mins | Ornate reminder of Ballarat’s mining wealth |
| Her Majesty’s Theatre | 6–7 mins | Historic theatre linked to colourful gold-era entertainment |
| Ballarat Mechanics’ Institute | 7 mins | Elegant 19th-century civic building |
| Art Gallery of Ballarat | 8 mins | One of Australia’s oldest regional galleries |
A GUIDE TO WHAT’S NEAR BENDIGO STATION
| Place | Approx. walk from Bendigo station | Why it stands out |
| Bayleaf Food Store | 6–7 mins | Popular café for breakfast, coffee and brunch |
| Hargreaves Mall | 8 mins | Main pedestrian mall with nearby street art |
| Bendigo CBD Street Art Laneways | 8–12 mins | Hidden murals and colourful public art |
| Chancery Lane | 9 mins | Colourful laneway murals, bars and cafés |
| Rosalind Park | 10 mins | Historic parkland with shady walking paths |
| Pall Mall | 10 mins | Elegant boulevard lined with gold-rush architecture |
| Bendigo Visitor Centre | 10 mins | Historic former post office and information hub |
| The Shamrock Hotel | 12–13 mins | Grand gold-rush era hotel |
| Bendigo Art Gallery | 12 mins | This major regional gallery is currently under redevelopment |
| Poppet Head Lookout | 14 mins | Mining-era lookout tower inside Rosalind Park |
| Golden Dragon Museum | 15 mins | Celebrates Bendigo’s Chinese goldfields history |
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