Kate Webster It might be an early morning start but a morning hot air balloon flight on the Gold Coast is well worth the loss of sleep in.
With Hot Air Gold Coast you can take to the skies and discover the beauty of Gold Coast’s Scenic Rim and surrounding areas.
This chilly winter morning I left the coastline and headed inland towards the Scenic Rim with Hot Air Gold Coast to climb into a hot air balloon and take in the sights of the Gold Coast from above.
Stood in the field of a farm, the morning is still dark and the chill is lifting from the wet ground. My attention quickly turns to the bursts of flames as the spectacular balloon inflation begins. Once the balloon is fully inflated, I climbed into the basket which is surprisingly large. These hot air balloons can take up to 20 passengers. Not the intimate four people sized basket I had imagined.
Without a sound we began to float up, up and away. Everything happened so smoothly. The air was calm and silent, only broken by the blasts of flames that continued to fill the balloon with hot air and send us higher. As we floated to around 4000 feet, the sun continued to rise over the rolling hills of the majestic Gold Coast hinterland.
It was here that I could take in sweeping views of Tamborine Mountain, Lamington National Park and to the east see the shimmering tall towers of the Gold Coast skyline. The stillness was deceiving as we were obviously moving on the wind current, but the peace and quiet was as beautiful as the scenery.
I let my thoughts drift off as I watch the world wake up below me. Cows moved around paddocks, cars began their morning journeys to who knew where. It was becoming a hive of activity below. I wondered if they would look up and notice me in the balloon floating by.
The landing was anticipated to be slightly bumpy as the basket drifted across the grassed field, and it was an eventful landing. We bounced across the field before coming to a halt. The added bit of excitement rounded off an incredible flight experience.
I am told the Gold Coast is a great place for a hot air balloon ride as the stable and reliable weather conditions means many more flying days per year.
With my feet back on the ground, and after assisting in packing up the balloon, it was off to have a champagne breakfast in the gracious ambiance of O’Reilly’s Vineyard‘s historic Grand Homestead. There is something about the fresh air out in the Gold Coast hinterland that makes you work up an appetite.
I perched myself next to the small flowing creek at the back of the property and devoured my breakfast surrounded by the magically part of the valley and think to myself that exploring my own back yard isn’t that bad after all.
