Unlikely Australian lake draws snap-happy Chinese tourists

Locals in the tiny farming town of Sea Lake, Victoria, have been stunned by an influx of Chinese tourists making the hours-long journey to take in the sights at a nearby lake.

The town is one of the state's most isolated (around 400km from Melbourne) and has a population of just 616 – and it's become an unlikely Instagram hot-spot, with snap-happy tourists flocking to Lake Tyrrell, 6km north of the town centre.

A number of Chinese tourism websites tout the 21,000-hectare lake as one of Australia's best attractions, which has seen a number of tour operators add it to their regular schedules.

And they're not wrong – the shallow basin makes for some spectacular snaps, especially at dawn or as the sun goes down.

Lake Tyrrell is also a haven for stargazing enthusiasts, boasting some of the clearest skies in the country.

Locals told the ABC the unexpected tourism jump has thrown a lifeline to the drought-stricken town, with huge numbers of tourists regularly making the hours-long round trip from Sydney and Melbourne.