Melbourne is well served by modern highways, buses, trams and trains. However, did you know you can also choose to float amongst the clouds to enjoy the scenic views from high above?
Hot air ballooning has always been on our bucket list and although not exactly cheap, we took the plunge to go for a balloon ride over the Melbourne CBD. And oh boy, what a ride it turned out to be.
There are many companies offering hot air balloon rides and one can choose to do the ride over the Yarra Valley or the Melbourne CBD. Prices vary and it is a good idea to pay extra for tickets that will allow you a cash refund should your booked flight not go ahead due to weather conditions and you are not able to rebook for a later date.
Due to the very early morning start, balloon companies have pick up points in selected hotels. If you are not staying in such a hotel, it would be worthwhile to request for the bus pick up from your home (if you live reasonably near within the city).
We booked a ride for late October, and guess what? It was postponed a total of 5 times due to poor weather! The hot air balloon pilot would send texts to all participants the night before to inform of the likelihood of the flights. We remember some flights were outright cancelled the night before and there was one time all looked good weather wise but cancellation occurred an hour before the bus was due to pick us up at 5.15am!
We finally flew only in mid December!
There were 10 people sharing the balloon basket for the flight. Safety is a primary concern of the pilot and there was a detailed briefing on how to get on and off the basket and how to behave when onboard.
The roar and heat of the gas burners slowly filling the balloon was a sight to behold!
With everyone onboard, we gently and ever so slowly floated up, up and away! What a surreal feeling of floating on air. The pilot was constantly on radio contact with ground helpers and he knew where and when to adjust the flight path to catch the appropriate winds to push the balloon to where we needed to go.
We could see many familiar Melbourne buildings and landmarks!
All too soon, it was time to land on a designed field and we had to help fold the balloon and pack it up afterwards. Some passengers proceed to a buffet breakfast at a city hotel (if that was included in the price of the ticket).
We were definitely glad to have done the ride and would recommend it to anyone as a once in a lifetime experience!
