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Select from the questions below

What is it like to fly in a hot air balloon?
Where do we fly?
How many people does a balloon hold?
What time does it start?
Is ballooning safe?
Do weather conditions affect a balloon flight?
What do you see from the air?
What happens on the morning of a flight?

A passenger got into our basket with some trepidation, and, after the pilot’s briefing, looked around inside the basket then said, "No, no, I can’t do it, I have to get out!" "Okay," replied the pilot, we’ll just have to go back down first." To her surprise she hadn’t realised they had already taken off. She decided to stay on board and enjoyed the flight.

We fly all year round over the beautiful Yarra Valley, about an hour east from the Melbourne CBD. This is one of Australia’s premier wine regions as well as being an area of visually spectacular scenery, and we are proud to continue the historic connections between hot air ballooning and vineyards.

We also fly over Geelong, Corio Bay and the Bellarine Peninsula.

We have a number of balloon basket sizes to suit the group numbers; these range from one which fits 2 or 3 people to one which can hold up to 20 passengers. We have the capacity to fly up to 50 passengers on an ideal morning.

Ballooning takes place first thing in the morning when conditions are most calm. The meeting time varies with the time of the year but a rule of thumb is about an hour before sunrise.

Is ballooning safe?

Yes. Hot air ballooning is regulated by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, which ensures the highest standards in the licensing of pilots, training, maintenance and quality control of operations. Mark Fraser, the director and Chief Pilot of Go Wild ballooning, pioneered hot air ballooning in the Yarra Valley and has a wealth of experience ballooning all over Australia. Safety and comfort of passengers are our pilots’ highest priorities. Unlike fixed-wing aircraft we only fly when the weather conditions are just right; we would rather disappoint passengers than risk a flight in less than sound conditions.

Unlike powered flight, hot air balloons depend on wind currents and wind direction to travel from one point to another, so inclement weather such as gusty or high winds and rain can prevent a flight from taking off. In the event of possible inclement weather, passengers will be notified the night before when they ring their pilot; Should the flight not proceed, they then have the option of rescheduling the flight or receiving a refund of any deposit monies paid.

At first you are absorbed by the immediate landscape gently moving away from you, the texture of the vineyards, the roads and cars getting smaller, the huge balloon above your head, the roar of the burners. Then your eyes travel to the Melbourne cityscape nestled by Port Phillip Bay and the flat of the western plains. The Dandenong Ranges are in another direction, beyond which is French Island in Westernport Bay. When the pilot rotates the balloon 180 degrees, you will see the sweep of the Great Dividing Range, the jewelled reservoirs in the morning light and more of the beautiful Yarra Valley with it’s meandering river course and vineyards.

After ringing the pilot the night before to confirm weather details and a meeting time, you meet at Chateau Yering (see map) at the time nominated and leave your vehicles there. We then transport you to the balloon launch site and invite you to be involved with inflating the balloon. You then fly over the Yarra Valley for approximately an hour, while the ground crew track the progress of the balloon from below. The crew will be there to collect you when you land and transport you back to Chateau Yering for a celebration champagne breakfast. After your breakfast, visit Yering Station Winery’s Cellar Door for your wine tasting and then the Yarra Valley Dairy for a cheese tasting. It is a very civilised way to spend a relaxed and leisurely morning.