My Hot Air Ballooning Adventure

Let’s make it compulsory for all of the Canberra-haters to jump in a wicker basket and float 500 meters above our fair city, so they can see just how beautiful Canberra really is! Strange thought, I know, but it was 6:30am and I had already been up for two hours in preparation for my first hot air balloon experience at the Canberra Balloon Spectacular, now in it’s 31st year.

Photos on social media with balloons littering the skies over Lake Burley Griffin always seem to give the impression of a serene and magical experience, so I thought I would decide for myself and finally accepted my friend’s offer to be a passenger in his balloon.

I arrive at Old Parliament House and the place is bursting with colour, however the crowds are apparently a lot quieter this year due to bad weather. Not today though, with light winds and clear skies, the weather is perfect for ballooning.

Once I sift through the low-humming buzz of early risers, I locate my friend and his balloon, which at this point is spread out on the ground and ready for inflation.

I start feeling nervous at the thought of floating in the sky in a mere basket, especially without seatbelts or safety gear. I wonder who the first person was to discover this phenomenon and suddenly I feel my heart racing. The heat generated from the gas burners is making my face feel hot and prickly. I ask a few unusual questions, like, ‘what will happen if we run out of gas?’, ‘has a basket ever fallen apart mid-flight?’ and ‘how do you steer the balloon?’. All of which are answered in a very lighthearted and semi-scripted fashion, making me think my friend has been asked similar questions previously. Despite my sudden panic, I step into the basket with four other passengers and up we go, slowly and gracefully floating into the skies above us.

At first I am too pre-occupied watching out for anything we may crash into to enjoy the experience, but after a while I start to enjoy the soft and gradual motion of the balloon. I realise this would be a great way for tourists to experience Canberra because the aerial views really showcase the architecture and layout of the city. As we float over Parliament House and the cultural institutions I notice how beautifully symmetrical the tree-lined streets are and the synergy between countryside and infrastructure for which our bush capital is renowned.

I may have started off as an anxious passenger but by the end of the flight I had fallen into a semi-hypnotic state attributed to the gentle and gradual movement of the balloon, perhaps making it an effective therapy for those with a phobia of flying or heights.

Overall, the entire ballooning experience was incredible! From seeing the balloon flat on the ground and standing inside of it as it was inflating, to then being a passenger and flying through the peaceful skies early in the morning, was worth the early start.

Things I have learnt through my ballooning adventure:

1.  This serene experience comes at a price, most companies charging passengers around the $350 – $400 (per person/per flight).
2.  The official title of a person who flies a hot air balloon is a pilot.
3.  You have to be up very early for your flight and there are no guarantees that weather conditions will be suitable for ballooning, so be prepared for a few false starts. You may have to reschedule for a different day.
4.  The sounds of the gas burner used to float the balloon are very loud and therefore a little disruptive to an otherwise peaceful journey. They also leak small amounts of hot fluid throughout the flight – take a hat!