Getting Hot over Canberra, Australia

Hot air balloons usually fly over natural wonders – from Cappadocia in Turkey to Bagan in Myanmar. Canberra, however, sets a different kind of view. The quiet and tidy city is filled with vibrant, contemporary architecture. Flying over it means observing how a good morning starts for its friendly residents.

We woke up as early as five in the morning to take the flight from an open field just by Lake Burley. The green grass were still damp with the morning dew. The sky was a bit misty, and the wind sent the chills to the bone. A truck came, bringing a huge basket made of woven wood. The basket has four columns. Each of the columns will be filled with four passengers.

The balloon itself was inside the other basket, still folded. Part of the experience was to help unfolding the balloon, and participate in blowing it using a huge propelling fan. “You are all to help us unfolding it, and participate in blowing it.” Of course not with our mouth, but a huge, propelling fan. The landscape of the open field soon to be dominated by a mighty, colorful balloon, slowly emerging as it was being blown. The balloon quickly grew bigger than a studio apartment.

Meanwhile, two small balloons were released to the sky. They helped the pilot to see the direction of the wind. When the wind is kind, the trip would be a gentle one. A stronger wind would carry the hot air balloon further up to the hills.

As the balloon got ready, we hopped into the basket, all of us squeezed with enough room to move our hands to take snapshots from the sky. No, we couldn’t walk around our “cabin”, but the pilot could turn it around so we had different view of the city.

The balloon could only be steered up and down. The strength of the wind according to the height will determine the direction of our flight. Different morning means different wind. This simply means there will never be a similar flight.

To fly the balloon is not a big deal. The real challenge is to find the landing ground. In case of a rough landing, the basket could roll over. Though all passengers are standing with no seat belt, safety is guaranteed.

Hot air ballooning in Canberra is special for many reasons. The first one was obvious: All of us participated in the process of setting up the balloon. It quickly broke the ice with other passengers and we had a solid teamwork in a flash. It was also a good sport in the chilling morning. Moreover, it gave us enough sense of belonging to call it “our hot air balloon”.

Secondly, flying in a hot air balloon over a capital city means hovering over office blocks, schools, highways, and even The Parliament House – without getting shot. Up from above, we could see how typical daily life emerged in this town. The pilot took us low to a basket ball court of a school where first graders saw us, and waved their hands cheerfully – a real morning treat!

“I really wish you could drop me on the roof of my office building,” laughed a passenger to the pilot. “That would make a super stylish arrival!”

The flight was around an hour long. That morning, we landed on another open field smoothly. The game was not over because all of us now had to deflate the balloon, and fold it back. The youngest passenger – a 10-year-old boy – helped push the folded balloon back to its sack by happily trampling on it. Afterwards, cold champagne was served, and each of us was handed a certificate to commemorate our successful flight.

Recommended Hot Air Balloon flight operators in Canberra: Canberra Balloons and Balloona Loft.

Ve Handojo

 Photos: Ve Handojo