Up, up and away with Australia’s best hot-air balloon flights

WORDS CRAIG TANSLEY

Rising above the Yarra River, Melbourne
Photo: Global Ballooning

Balloons floating in the
morning mist
Photo: Balloon Aloft

It may be the only time you’ll want to drag yourself out of bed before dawn. At this hour, everything’s silent: the only noise you’ll hear is the whoosh of gas as you climb into the sky in your hot-air balloon. “I think after 18 years of doing this, the thing that gets me most is that you’re lighter than air,” says Kiff Saunders, owner of Global Ballooning in the Yarra Valley. “You don’t feel any movement; it’s about moving while you’re staying still. People find it difficult to comprehend. For one hour you raise yourself above the world and look down on life as it’s happening. It’s the only way I know to detach myself completely.” Australia has some of the most scenic hot-air balloon flights in the world. Here are our picks.

Cairns

The splendour of a hot-air balloon
festival
Photo: Tourism New South WalesIt’s little wonder Cairns is home to the largest hot-air ballooning centre in the southern hemisphere: the region enjoys almost perfect ballooning weather and it’s not unusual to see up to 10 balloons in the air at once. Cairns also boasts cheaper prices than many areas, because of the high number of tourists to the region; a standard half-hour flight with pick-ups, cooked breakfast and champagne will set you back AU$180, while an hour’s ride is AU$280. “We have seven different types of ballooning packages,” says Hot Air Cairns’ Andrew Steel. “Aside from the standard introductory ride, we have everything [including] weddings and wedding proposal tours – the good news is, we have a 100 percent success rate!” The balloons take off near Mareeba, an hour’s drive south-west of Cairns, and travel across the stunning Atherton Tablelands. “A lot of our guests are from overseas, and being able to float above the outback just amazes them completely,” says Steel.

 

Take off
Hot Air Cairns offers half-hour rides with pick-up and a champagne breakfast for AU$180, and one-hour rides for AU$280. For more information, tel: 1800 800 829 within Australia.
Raging Thunder also offers half-hour and one-hour rides with pick-up and champagne breakfast, for AU$165 and AU$270. Tel: +61 (7) 4030 7990.

The Hunter Valley

A romantic moment
Photo: Hot Air CairnsThe only way to get the big picture of the fastest-growing wine region in Australia is by hovering above it all. “You can see how vast the valley is,” the staff at Balloon Aloft comment. “It’s incredible: you’ll see hills, forests, vineyards, mountains, farmland; it all depends on which way the wind blows.” Balloon rides are available 12 months a year, but they suggest November to April and May as the best time to fly, with an 80 percent take-off rate per year.

Take off
Balloon Aloft offers hour-long flights with transfers and champagne for AU$295. An optional breakfast at the nearby Pokolbin Hill Chateau Resort is extra. Tel: 1800 028 568 within Australia.
Hunter Valley Hot Air Ballooning offers hour-long rides with transfers and champagne for AU$285, and an optional breakfast at the nearby Crowne Plaza Hunter Valley at extra cost. Tel: 1800 818 191 within Australia.

The Yarra Valley

A ride above the Yarra Valley at dawn couldn’t be more romantic: you drift above some of Australia’s most renowned vineyards, cocooned in the Great Dividing Range, then enjoy a champagne breakfast in a winery restaurant. “We have to attract people from Melbourne, not just tourists, so we have to have a higher quality product,” explains Kiff Saunders, owner of Global Ballooning. “The colours here are incredible, especially in the autumn: that’s my favourite time of the year.” Balloons fly in the Yarra Valley 12 months a year, with weather conditions generally allowing around 170 to 200 days of ballooning each year.

Take off
Global Ballooning offers hour-long rides with transfers and a champagne breakfast at Fergusson Winery for AU$295 or AU$260 mid-week. Fly over Melbourne for AU$350. Tel: 1800 627 661 within Australia.

Sydney

The swans are not bothered by the
balloons
Photo: Windward Balloon Adventures

While it’s hard to beat the thrill of floating over the countryside, there’s something pretty amazing about Sydney’s skyline from the air. Take off with Balloon Aloft from Camden in Sydney’s western suburbs, and drift towards Sydney’s rural west; giving you views of both the CBD and the beautiful Blue Mountains to the west. Staff enthuse: “We fly over beautiful rural areas – over national parks and rivers – and you’ll be able to see the Blue Mountains, which look fantastic from the air. You can see the harbour, too, and the ferries starting in the morning. It’s amazing how much greenery there is so close to the city.”

Take off
Balloon Aloft offers hour-long rides with a champagne barbecue breakfast for AU$295. Tel: 1800 028 568 within Australia.
Cloud 9 Balloon Flights offers hour-long balloon flights with a champagne breakfast at Lachlan’s Restaurant, Old Government House, Parramatta for AU$285. Tel: 1300 555 711.

Western Australia

Riding above the greenery of WA
Photo: Windward Balloon Adventures

The Avon Valley is the ultimate place to enjoy a balloon ride in Western Australia, and not just because it’s the only place you can! Just an hour’s drive east of Perth, this unspoilt landscape, with its rolling hills, lush greenery and endless meandering streams, is ideal for hot-air ballooning. Balloons fly here between April and late November. “The middle of winter is probably the prettiest,” says Damien Hays, owner of Windward Balloon Adventures, the state’s oldest operator. “It’s really lush and green and there’s mist everywhere. The middle of autumn is probably the most reliable. It looks like a beautiful English countryside here, with undulating landscape and farmland, so it’s quite different to the east coast.”

Take off
Windward Balloon Adventures offers daily one-hour flights with a champagne breakfast for AU$290, or AU$240 during the week. Tel: +61 (8) 9621 2000.
Avon Valley Ballooning offers daily one-hour flights with a champagne breakfast for AU$295, or AU$245 during the week. Tel: 1800 468 886 within Australia.