Thought you had ‘done it all’ in the Yarra Valley, think again! The Global Girls have summed up your ultimate ‘to do list’ to end your day with a bang…   1. You haven’t fully indulged until you have tasted the handmade farmhouse cheeses at Yarra Valley Dairy. Visit their original 100 year old milking shed, overlooking stunning Yarra Valley views for tastings of cheese and local wines, delightful produce; such as award-winning relishes and jams, accompanied by fresh baked bread & local meats – talk about the REAL dairy experience. www.yvd.com.au   2. For a mix of...

Find out why booking a balloon flight with Global Ballooning Australia is an easy choice - knowing you are choosing the BEST in the business makes it all the more worth while!   1. Global Ballooning Australia has been successfully operating for 23 years now – we live & breathe Melbourne!  We have an impeccable safety record which is due to our commitment to operate Australia's best maintained fleet of balloons. Our Maintenance Manager, Barry Ward has attended maintenance courses at the two leading balloon manufacturers, Cameron Balloons in Bristol, England and Kavanagh Balloons in Sydney.   2....

“If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” - John Quincy Adams. MTILP has been a whirlwind journey of emotional intelligence, inner strengthening of personal development, resolutions, positive techniques and techniques training us to be leaders. Tasks throughout the development of the course gave me an insight into the human mind and an appreciation of the little things in life. After each session my brain was exploding from an incredible amount of learnings and thoughts, which revolved around organisation, goal setting, positive thinking, values and team work.  ...

Flying Maasai Mara, Kenya, Africa I write this article for Aeronotes on my lap top, sitting in front of my pilot’s house at Fig Tree Camp in August 2014, Maasai Mara Kenya. This is my third season here and the lure of flying over the Savanah and escaping a Melbourne/Yarra Valley winter finds me here again. The flying is spectacular and to see the enormity of the large herds of wildebeest and zebra that migrate here from the Serengeti when aloft is fabulous. However, what really makes this experience worthwhile for me are the African people; I have more friends here...

In 2012 Global Ballooning Australia was the first commercial company to offer ballooning at the North Pole. Kiff Saunders and Viktor Myazov drove from Moscow to Murmansk to join the Quark Expeditions Team as a part of their ultimate arctic adventure.  The trip to 90 degrees north was aboard the largest nuclear icebreaker in the world - 50 let Pobedy (50 years of Victory). This incredible ship is able to move at 14 knots through 1 metre of ice. The voyage takes 5 days to reach the North Pole with the ship stpping along the way to allow passengers to watch Polar Bears wondering...

Global Ballooning Australia were recognised this year at the Victorian Tourism Industry Awards as the states best Tour Company for 2014. After many years of being a finalist in this category the incredible work undertaken by the team at GBA to provide our customers with a tourism experience of exceptional quality has been recognised by the comprehensive judging panel of industry experts. The criterion for the judging panel to make their decision is extensive. Not only do they look at the delivery of the product but also safety & risk management, community service, sustainability and contribution to the vibrancy of Victoria's Tourism Industry. We are extremely proud...

Nick Brau has worked with Global Ballooning Australia for 12 years now.    In 2002 Nick moved to Melbourne, Australia, on a contract to fly over the city with its high rise buildings and close to 4 million residents. By 2008 Nick accrued 2000 hours flying both conventional and special shaped balloons. He has unusual experience in that a very high ratio of his flying hours have been flown inside airport controlled zones and, due to geographical or meteorological reasons, in technically difficult areas. On a more personal level, Nick answered a few questions surrounding his ballooning experiences…...

FANTASVIC is an annual Inbound Workshop held by Australian Tourism Export Council (ATEC) where tourism suppliers from Melbourne and Tasmania join together in educating agents from around Australia about their products. You must be an ATEC member to be a part of this workshop. Visit their website to find out more information and the benefits of joining as a member: https://www.atec.net.au.     This one-day workshop was held at Bayview Eden on the Park in Melbourne on Thursday 19th June, with 24 agent appointments setup including a few appointments with key knowledgeable industry contacts.     Partaking in...

For the third year in a row Global Ballooning Australia was invited to join Quark Expeditions in providing their guests with the amazing experience of Hot Air Ballooning at the North Pole. In mid June myself and Viktor Myazov, our Yarra Valley pilot, left our not so sunny shores for the sea port of Murmansk in North West of Russia to join the North Pole expeditioners’ aboard the Russian Nuclear Ice Breaker ‘ 50 Years of Victory’. Having failed to get the balloon up on either of the two voyages the previous year we were nervous that we might...

The Global Ballooning Australia team enjoyed a day out of the office, planting trees in the Yarra Valley!  As part of Global Ballooning Australia's goals for 2014-2015, we aim to dedicate some of our time to giving back to the community and the environment.   Studies show that Green Travel is more important than ever for tourists. Many travellers worldwide are choosing to only experience tours, accommodation and products which preserve the ecological integrity of the environment. The Global team planted over 700 trees in Gruyere within just 6 hours!  Thanks yo Tree Project, this volunteer program was super...