Although getting up at 3.30am doesn’t normally hold a great deal of appeal for me, the allure of  starting the day floating in a hot air Balloon does, and so it was that I refrained from hitting the snooze button as I dragged myself out of bed...

According to the brochure ‘white or light coloured clothing is not recommended’ and I’d also been advised to keep the high heels in the wardrobe, so after throwing on a pair of jeans and grabbing a light jacket I headed downstairs for my pick up.

The Raging Thunder bus turned up right on time and I was greeted by a friendly chap named Osamu who explained that we’d be picking up a few more fellow passengers and watching a safety video before everyone could go back to sleep while the bus travelled the one hour drive to Mareeba.

A “Welcome to Mareeba” sign showing a fleet of Balloons greeted us as we entered the outskirts of the town, arriving soon after at the Mareeba Heritage Centre.  There were a couple of other Raging Thunder buses here as well and we had time to use the bathroom facilities while the launch site was being decided by the pilots – the balloons launch from a different location each day depending on wind and weather conditions.

Once we got back on the bus we were given a boarding pass which determined whether we were on the first flight or second flight - 2 x 30 minute flights are flown, or 1 x 60 minute flight – and then we headed to our launch site.

On this particular day we were launching from a paddock only about 5 minutes drive from the Mareeba Heritage Centre.  It soon became clear why you shouldn’t wear high heels as the ground was quite uneven in parts, and the advice to not wear light coloured clothing also made sense as they would’ve been easily marked.

As we got off the bus, we were met by the spectacular sight of the giant balloons being inflated, with huge flames lighting up the still dark sky.  I’d never really given much thought as to how they inflated the balloons so it was fascinating to see them lying on their side, with a fan firstly blowing cold air in, and then the flames warming up the air as the balloons elegantly rose and stood up.  I later found out that the actual ‘balloon’ is called an ‘envelope’ and they are massive!

Once the balloons were ready to go everything happened very quickly, all of us that were on the first flight were helped into the basket where we met our Pilot, Steve, we had another run through the safety briefing and practised the landing position and then we lifted off, floating gradually higher and higher as Steve blasted the burners. 

The views were spectacular as we floated over the Barron River, spotting kangaroos and wallabies and some children that came out to wave as we glided above them.  I don’t quite know what I was expecting from a balloon flight, but the peacefulness was amazing with only the occasional blast of the burners and Steve answering questions breaking the silence.

As we came to the end of the flight we assumed the landing position, crouching down in the basket and holding on to the restraints before a bit of a bump, a bit of a tilt, and touchdown, we were back on terra firma safe and sound, and definitely richer for the experience. 

One more thing ticked off the bucket list!

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www.ragingthunder.com.au