To see the look of wonder and intrigue on a childs face as they stare at a Hot air balloon up close is truely beautiful. They are impressionable and fascinated by new experiences; to be educated and entertained.  Travelling with children can have it's challenges. We want to make your experience with Global Ballooning as enjoyable as possible, for all involved.  For this reason, here are the basic safety tips to remember when flying with your kids, throughout the 3 stages of the flight tour:  1. INFLATION Throughout the entire tour, it's important to keep an eye on your children at all times. Follow...

Australian records Distance AX5 =168.7 km 10/7/2011 Distance AX6 =378.8 km 19/7/2018 Duration AX6  =6hrs 28 min 24/8/2018 Duration AX7 = 9 hrs 3 min  29/8/2018   My story about becoming a balloon pilot:  Little did I know that as a child when my Mother suggested to me to join the scouting movement as an activity that it may eventually lead to hot air ballooning however the scouting system encourages self development, leadership skills, community assistance and the pursuit of outdoor activities and if one desires a system of award achievement. This system taught me to define a goal ,...

Global Ballooning Australia Welcomes World-class Japanese Pilot to the Team Victoria, Australia; 23 August, 2019 – It is with great excitement that Global Ballooning Australia welcomes our first ever Japanese commercial pilot Sanshiro Ishihara to the award-winning team. We’re proud to announce that Sanshiro is the only Japanese ballooning pilot in Australia.   Sanshiro is a ‘second generation’ balloonist, having grown up around balloons in Japan’s ‘world famous Ballooning Capital’, Saga City. Saga has hosted three World Ballooning Championships and annually hosts Asia’s largest hot air balloon event / competition which this year is celebrating its 40th anniversary.  ...

Sam & Fren first laid eyes on each other at a friends birthday party and have been together in their relationship for about 2 years now. In May 2019, Sam plucked up the courage to propose to Fren in one of our hot air balloon flights over Melbourne and happily shared their story for all to read. THE PREPARATION When asked what the reasons were for choosing to propose in a hot air balloon, Sam replied, "flying in a hot air balloon has always been on the bucket list, so when I was researching for a hot air balloon during a vacation in...

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...