About Us

The most experienced hot air balloon ride operator over Melbourne

Chief Pilot Chris Shorten, "the balloonman", a Melbourne native has vastly more experience operating passenger hot air balloon rides over Melbourne than any other pilot. When you fly with Balloon Flights Over Melbourne you fly with Chris, and you can rely on our experience and professionalism to ensure you receive the best Melbourne has to offer.

Experience counts for a great deal in hot air ballooning. Not only does it ensure we choose to fly only when the weather conditions are best, we are also sure to select the best launch site each day to provide you with the best views over Melbourne.

Chris was instantly attracted to ballooning when he received a surprise gift to fly at sunrise in the Grampians, North West of Melbourne experiencing the magical thrill of open air flight. The very next day he was a balloon man, part of the ballooning team learning the ropes - from the ground up, so to speak. That was back in 1993 and Chris the balloonman now has over 2000 hours as pilot in command of a passenger hot air balloon.

Since that first experience of lighter-than-air flight, ballooning has taken him on journeys far and wide with a stint of a couple of years in the Nepalese Himalayas flying balloons as well as various parts of Australia including the fascinating Alice Springs and MacDonnell Ranges. Eventually the balloonman followed his heart and returned to his home town of Melbourne where he resides with his wife and three lovely daughters today. The challenges of flying Melbourne by balloon were too attractive to stay away from for too long, and so here he is.

Chris is forever being asked "Are you the Balloon Man?" as he makes his way around town. Hot air balloons attract a great deal of attention, people are intrigued by Chris' occupation of flying balloons over Melbourne.

Chris was fortunate to be in the position of sharpening his flying skills in Melbourne with the guru of ballooning in Australia and around the world Mr Christopher Dewhirst. Dewhirst was the pioneer of passenger hot air balloon flights in Melbourne back in 1986. Dewhirst mentored our Chris and they shared in his Melbourne experiences and knowledge over many years and he still keeps in touch with us nowadays. The opportunity arose for Chris to work in the Himalayas ballooning due to his relationship and connection with Dewhirst. It was back in 1995 Chris Dewhirst flew a hot air balloon over Mount Everest in an incredible adventure that saw him awarded the Diplome Montgolfier. Dewhirst was awarded the Royal Aeroclub's Award for heroic feats of aviation and the prestigious Montgolfier Diploma by the Federation Aeronautique Internationale (FAI) for feats of extraordinary daring in aviation.

Balloon Flights Over Melbourne only fly new aircraft with all new avionics equipment on board. We are the holder of Air Operator Certificate VT598425-01 issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA).

Your safety is always our first priority. Our work safety practices and procedures have been refined over many years operating hot air balloons to ensure our passengers and spectators alike are not exposed to any unnecessary dangers. If the weather is unsuitable for a balloon flight – we simply will not fly.

We have chosen to only operate one hot air balloon over Melbourne carrying 10 passengers to ensure that you receive our full attention from the moment you contact us. You know that you will be flying with the balloonman Chris Shorten on the morning and feel comfortable that you can rely on his skills and local knowledge to get the best that Melbourne has to offer.

Chris has brought together the most experienced team with a wealth of local knowledge that can be drawn upon to enhance your Melbourne ballooning experience.

With over 11 years of ballooning ground crew operations in Melbourne alone, Brendan (our head of ground operations) welcomes all family and friends to participate on the ground in the great ballooning chase (own vehicle required) - an adventure in itself.