Hot Air Balloon Flights

Your balloon ride over Melbourne

Now you are ready to see Melbourne by balloon and enjoy the adventure of a lifetime with Melbourne’s most experienced hot air ballooning team. The following information can be used as a guide as to what our mornings involve.

Reconfirming your flight

Please call Balloon Flights Over Melbourne on 03 9427 0088 the day prior to your flight. Chris your pilot will take this opportunity to speak with all our passengers on what to expect on the next morning. At this time we will clarify your wake up and meeting times for the morning along with a weather forecast prepared by the aviation department at the weather bureau.

Wake-up call and meeting place

Chris makes his final decision to fly on the morning of your flight. Chris will only call you out if the weather is favourable for a balloon flight. We meet in the Royal Botanic Gardens on Birdwood Avenue close to the Shrine of Remembrance one hour prior to sunrise. Keep in mind that sunrise times differ throughout the seasons so our meeting times also differ. Wake up and meeting times are clarified with you when reconfirming your flight. For all our visitors to Melbourne and locals staying at a hotel in town complimentary transfers are available upon request.

Selecting the launch site

Hot air balloons travel with the wind so much of our navigating actually takes place prior to take off. With Chris’ wealth of local knowledge and experience in Melbourne, careful consideration will be taken for our choice of take off site. We then leave as a group to the launch site by mini bus to one of Melbourne’s many parks to inflate the balloon ready for take off.

Flight preparation

The choice is yours, roll up your sleeves and help prepare the balloon for flight or sit back and enjoy the spectacle as Chris fires up the balloon. Either way it’s great fun. The excitement builds and anticipation mounts as the time draws closer to a sunrise lift off for your hot air ballooning adventure over Melbourne.

Ready for take off

It’s time to climb aboard the wicker basket under instruction from pilot and ground crew. Chris will provide a full passenger safety briefing at this time as to what to expect throughout the flight and landing. With a burst of flame from the burners it’s up, up and away!

Your ballooning flight

Sunrise is flight time. The balloon will climb slowly to cruising altitude; you will drift silently with the wind and take in the most magnificent perspective of Melbourne available only from a hot air balloon. Generally we average over an hour in the air each morning. Often we fly over the city, however this cannot be guaranteed on any particular day. Hot air balloons travel with the wind therefore our flight paths each morning are quite different day to day. You are likely to take in many of Melbourne’s landmarks such as the Yarra River, MCG, Arts Centre, Rialto Tower, the Royal Botanic Gardens and many more of Melbourne’s lovely parks and gardens.

Landing

It’s time to land, so stowe away any loose articles and assume your landing positions. Chris will bring you back to earth with a gentle bump, occasionally the balloon will lay over on landing. It’s all a part of the fun, time now to pack up the balloon and head off to breakfast and a glass of champagne to celebrate your adventure of a lifetime.

Breakfast

The Observatory Café in the gorgeous surrounds of the Royal Botanic Gardens is our final destination on the morning. The café is renowned for their sumptuous food and relaxing ambience. We are sure that you will still be on cloud nine and Chris will join you for the breakfast and chat about the hot air ballooning adventure you have just shared.

Post flight certificate

Well you deserved it! Chris will present all passengers a certificate recognising your daring in joining us on a hot air ballooning adventure over Melbourne. Congratulations.

Also included is a map highlighting your Melbourne balloon flight path for the morning.