V Day inspiration: hot air balloon ride

By Victoria Vella

I recently went on a hot air balloon ride in Queensland. I always thought there’d only be up to five people in the basket but there was around 20, which was a tight squeeze I might add.

The coach picked us up (my friend and I) from our accommodation at around 4am (yes very early) and we drove about two hours outside the Gold Coast towards Brisbane.

When we got into the balloon it was a bit hot due to the flame of the fire, but it was quite nice at that time of the morning.

The ride went for approximately 45 minutes. It was not scary at all since hot air balloon rides are slow. We got a good look outside the basket and took photos of the beautiful view which was farmland, hills, mountains and some cows grazing the fields.

It didn’t feel like we were hundreds of feet above the ground.

The ride was so relaxing with the fresh air and great scenery it was a beautiful way to spend a morning.

Afterwards we got to see how the balloon was packed up - a process that took a while. You really appreciate all the work they do for us to experience this beautiful adventure.

When the balloon was finally packed up we were driven to a lovely café for a breakfast buffet where we had champagne and croissants and then a hot breakfast of scrambled eggs, sausages, bacon and hash browns.

The package included return coach service, so we got back at around 11am.

Even though we were all tired when we returned, it was worth every minute of it.

You can find out more at www.hotairballoonrides.com.au