The onset of winter in the ‘southern states’ is a time for those of us who endure the bleak windy weather conditions to switch to mental survival mode. This can be in the form of; living and breathing footy, escaping to the North, heading off skiing or in the case of balloonists - looking for something to do to lift ones spirit when the flying ‘ain’t happening’.   For the Global Ballooning Team this means spending the short freezing daylight hours on the stimulating task of maintaining equipment and catching up on administration work. It is little wonder we spend...

A history of Kiff Saunders, owner of Global Ballooning Australia   Q1: How did you get interested in balloon flight and start your own business in it? Aviation was a big part of my early family life. My grandfather started one of Australia’s first private flying schools in 1936 in a small town just on the outskirts of Sydney. I actually began flying when I was 15 years old. Camden Airport is still active today, so when I returned from my travels in 1987, I happened to meet some balloonists who had started a commercial passenger business and who...

When Bronwen took to the skies with Nurse Next Door and Global Ballooning this Good Friday it really was a great reminder that we must never stop chasing our dreams.   Bronwen’s ballooning adventure began when she entered our ‘Happier Ageing Dreams Project’ earlier in the year. An initiative set up by Nurse Next Door Australia to grant the dreams of older Australians and prove that life continues to hold possibilities, regardless of age, the ‘Happier Ageing Dreams Project’ attracted a great deal of attention with some pretty extravagant dreams, but it was Bronwen’s dream that caught our attention.  ...

Embrace our amazing city by acting as a 'tourist' for a day. Spend some quality time with Dad visiting some of the well known attractions Melbourne has to offer. No-one has to know that you are a local, jump on the city circle tram and let the city take you away on an adventure through laneways and markets.  Fathers Day is this Sunday- 2nd September. There is still time to plan something super special for him!  Our top 5 for Melbourne include: 1. FIT FATHER Get your runners on and work up a sweat, by participating in the YMCA Fathers...

The day starts at 4:30 am as we curse the alarm clock for waking us again. Once we are awake and have managed to ascertain some coffee, we take all our radios, flying computers, GPS’, and other instruments off charge and pile them, and ourselves into the car. It takes us about half an hour to reach the competition centre, while outside we start to assess the weather and wind conditions to predict what our flight may look like this morning. At 6:00am we have our briefing, 22 ballooning teams pile into a small room and we are given a...

There really is no better time than sunrise to admire any city. As a photographer I usually look for a vantage point to capture the cityscape reflecting that glowy early morning light. However,  what if you can see and capture this while flying over the city? Literally. Well, if you’re in Melbourne, Australia, you can definitely do it. Actually, you have to do it!    I had my first hot air balloon experience here in Melbourne with Global Ballooning and all I can say is that it was wonderful. It surely is a once-in-a-lifetime experience and if I could recommend any...

I clearly remember my first thoughts whilst drifting over Camden on my first balloon flight in 1987 - ‘How cool would it be to travel Australia with a balloon and flying over some of this country’s spectacular landscapes’. I never would have imagined at the time the journey that was about to begin.   It has always fascinated me, as I barge my way through life, how being interested, determined and pro-active leads to manifesting magnificence. I have always suffered from adventure envy - that being - watching someone else engaged in amazing activities whilst I sit around dreaming....

There is nothing more majestic than experiencing a kaleidoscope of colour on the horizon watching the sunrise from a hot air balloon. Personally, I can’t think of a more invigorating way to begin my day. If you have ever been in a hot air balloon you will appreciate the peaceful floating experience that is associated with ballooning. So, you will understand my personal intrigue when I heard of a Hot Air Balloon Competition. Unlike many sports a hot air balloon competition is not about speed but more about the methodological skill of the pilot and in some instances just sheer...

  We are proud to announce that a new mobile app is in place now for our passengers, allowing them to Check-in for their flight without having to follow outdated procedures. This custom build mobile app means that communication between passengers and pilots/ crew is two-way and eliminates uncertainty as well as translation difficulties.  In the past, passengers were required to call a nominated voice message service to listen to the instructions for the flight the next day. Although for many years this worked brilliantly, with the increase of international visitation and 21st Century technology reliance, we decided to embrace some changes...

A Hot Air balloon experience is something i regularly organize for my clients, however never had I had the opportunity to do so myself. During a work trip in Melbourne, perfect weather and with the following morning free, i thought this would be the perfect time to experience an (early) sunrise flight. The team at Global Ballooning were quick to confirm my booking and completely hassle free, one email sent and 10 minutes later i had received my confirmation letter and a text from the company confirming my pick up time, must knows and additional info. Off i headed to...