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In 1890, Miss Val van Tassel made Australian air history when she ascended in a balloon, suspended from a trapeze bar, two kilometres above Newcastle. She repeated this daring act two weeks later at Bondi Beach. Today, as a result of modern technology and the use of nylon fabric and propane heating gas, the sport of hot-air ballooning has enjoyed a tremendous renaissance and balloons can be seen in the skies over such unlikely places as Brazil, Hong Kong and India. Passenger balloon flights are growing in popularity and are now available in several parts of the world including California, France, Kenya, South Africa, Turkey and New Zealand- just to mention a few.
Ballooning continues to be a popular sport and pastime in Australia and centres have been established across the nation. National ballooning championships, sanctioned by the world body, the Federation Aeronautique Internationale, and the Australian Ballooning Federation, are held every second year.
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