hot air ballooning in cairns

i read about seenthisscenethat's two failed attempts at hot air ballooning and decided to write about our experience in cairns in 1999.

the australians are quite experienced when it comes to adventure stuff. we had to get up at about 4.15 a.m. the mini-bus took about 45 minutes to reach mareeba, the site for the ballooning. we did the ballooning over the atherton highlands and after that had champagne breakfast at the anthill restaurant.

tableland balloon flight cost aus$115 for an adult, with children getting 30% discount off the adult price, for a half hour flight. in addition, we had to pay aus$7 aviation fee on the day of travel. the total cost included a chicken and champagne breakfast.

the basket, which could easily carry 15 persons, including the pilot, was laid on its side while they funnelled the hot air into the balloon. when the parachute envelope ballooned out, the basket uprighted itself and we were helped into it.


there were three or four hot air balloons up in the sky at the tableland that morning. by the time the balloon was aloft, it was bright enough for us to take in the sights around and below us. it was a smooth ride and surprisingly, i forgot all my fear for height.

flights are usually carried out early in the morning when the air is still cool which makes maneuvering easier. as the day gets warmer and the warm air rises, controlling the balloon becomes a bit tricky and unpredictable. as it was, even in the morning, our balloon strayed slightly off its target and we landed near a cemetery.

when it finally landed, all of us, especially the men, had to pitched in to help anchor the balloon onto the ground while the pilot and his assistants worked at deflating the balloon and folding the huge piece of parachute material. it was quite a good work-out before we proceeded for our much awaited breakfast.