Global Ballooning

My husband and I did the Yarra Valley hot air balloon ride. The crew were friendly and obviously enjoyed what they do. The most disappointing part of the day was in the basket we were in the center and we had to share that 'compartment' with another couple. They didn't really let us get near the edge of the basket to see the beautiful views, so we were near the burners the whole ride, and they were HOT. Not the companys fault just not a great experience for us due to sharing the space with people who didnt know how to share .

It took quite a number of attempts for us to actually get our balloon flight, because the winds have to be very calm. And I mean very calm. So calm that you would think that there is no wind. However once we did get to go, the experience was great. Our flight started early in the morning around Kensington and then we flew right over the city, looking down on top of the tall buildings and then directly over the MCG. We made a landing in Hawthorn and then were bussed back to the Hilton in East Melbourne for a relaxing breakfast. I must admit I had low expectations about the enjoyment value of the flight relative to the cost, but it was worth it. Perhaps it can best be described as like sailing in the sky.