There is however an explanation for this. The lake is swarming with tiny microorganisms, called Noctiluca scintillans that have a natural luminescence. These organisms glow a ghostly blue and give the effect that the lake is glowing.

The concentration of bioluminescent organisms it would take to create this ?glowing effect? within the lake is extremely rare and is a very unusual concentration to find anywhere in the world.

Gippsland is made up of several different lakes these are, Lakes Wellington, Victoria, King, Reeve, Tyers and Coleman.

1st December 2006 is where the story begins. This was when the bushfires began in Victoria, Australia and lasted for 69 days. Much of the catchment area for the Gippsland lakes was destroyed by the fire and, at the time, people knew that the fires would have an affect on the lakes however, how severe was to be determined by the intensity of rainfall they were then to receive.

Phil Hart is the lucky photographer who shot these images. These photos are particularly impressive because the concentration of ?sea sparkle? – scientifically known as noctiluca scintillans – was unusually high when Hart captured the bizarre phenomenon on camera.

This is what illuminated the Gippsland Lakes in Victoria, Australia a couple of years ago.

Noctiluca scintillans uses its ability to produce and emit light as a defense mechanism, lighting up when it senses a predator approaching.