Hot Air Ballooning with Floating Images
Do you ever have that one amazing experience you’ve wanted to do for ages, but just hadn’t had the chance? For me, it was hot air ballooning. It was hard to imagine anything more amazing than floating across the sky and looking down on the land below from one of the most romantic modes of transport I can think of—a hot air balloon.
While 2020 certainly wasn’t the year any of us wanted, it did bring me the opportunity to experience my first ever hot air balloon flight in Ipswich, Queensland, with local business Floating Images.
Ipswich is a spectacular region of South East Queensland, about a half an hour drive from Brisbane. It’s a gorgeous heritage city, originally intended to be Queensland’s capital. While this honor went to Brisbane instead, there’s still plenty of historic charm to be found in and around Ipswich.
I flew with Chief Pilot Graeme Day, who pilots each flight and runs Floating Images along with his wife, Ruth Day.
Graeme thinks the Ipswich region is top-notch for hot air ballooning. He explains, “This diverse and beautiful region is set against the spectacular natural backdrop of the Great Dividing Range. A world of tranquillity, gentle streams, lovely lakes, picturesque forests, plains, valleys, World Heritage-listed national parks, and historical country towns.”
He couldn’t be more right. If you’re keen to try it, here’s what you need to know about hot air ballooning with Floating Images.
Hot air ballooning means an early start
Hot air ballooning is an early start. For our sunrise flight, which is when most balloon flights depart, this means a wake-up call while it’s still pitch black outside. For early mornings, I tend to set about three alarms to make sure, and then I still wake up at least a half-hour before the first alarm goes off. While it helps to naturally be a morning person, the excitement and anticipation of going ballooning makes it easy to bounce out of bed before the sparrows.
With the exception of summer, early morning starts in Ipswich can be on the cooler side, so you’ll want warm clothes for the flight. In winter, add a beanie, gloves, and layers, as the mornings will be frigid, but will warm up as the sun rises.
Flight Prep
After meeting the group at the Ipswich Visitor Centre, the small group (there were five of us in total) met Graeme and then boarded the van to our departure spot for the morning. We departed from a local park, George and Eileen Hastings Sporting Complex, however Graeme has over 20 locations he considers for his departures, depending on the weather and wind. However, they’re all a short drive from the city. He describes flying a balloon as ‘three-dimensional sailing’, a great analogy.
As we pulled up into the park, a few wallabies caught the light of our van and bounded across the field, back in the treeline. Quintessential Australia—the Ipswich region is chock-full of wallabies, especially at sunrise and sunset. I never get tired of seeing Australian wildlife, no matter how long I’ve lived here, so this was an exciting way to start the day.
Back to the balloon. The balloon itself is packed up on the back of a trailer, so you’re not quite ready to fly yet. It’s all hands on deck when it comes to flight prep, which is part of the fun—plus, it helps you learn more about how the process of ballooning works.
The main task at hand is filling the envelope with air so it can rise—when it comes to ballooning lingo, the envelope is the part of the balloon that holds air. It’s made from a nylon material and if you imagine it as similar to the parachute you played with in school gym class, you’re not wrong.
The envelope needs to be gently unfolded and rolled out, then held open while a fan fills it with air. Not just some air, but a lot of air—to lift 1,000 pounds of weight, you need around 65,000 cubic feet of hot air. The sheer magnitude and size of the envelope is incredible to see up-close.
Up, Up, and Away with Floating Images
Once the balloon is prepared, it’s time to climb in (literally) and go through a few safety tips. Safety is 100% the number one priority through the whole process, which was reassuring—I must admit, I was a little nervous at the thought of leaving the ground in a rather small basket.
Graeme has been flying for decades—first in Europe, then in Australia, so you’re in capable hands.
Once everyone on board was briefed, it was time to fly. The whole process of lift-off was so smooth, you almost didn’t realize you were flying until you see the park and van below get smaller and smaller as you rise higher into the air.
Weird analogy, but if you imagine you’re sitting on a bed and it rose up and slowly flew above the town below, that’s how ballooning felt. You get a bird’s eye view, literally, of the world above, from a nearly 360-degree angle, something we rarely get to experience as humans.
Soaring Over Ipswich
With Floating Images, each flight goes for an hour, at least, giving you plenty of time to enjoy the landscape. As you fly, Graeme points out landmarks and tells you about the history and biology of the Ipswich region.
Your scenery changes constantly, from suburban neighborhoods, green blocks of farmland, pastures, forests, streams, and valleys. As a photographer, I was constantly trying to capture everything and nail the perfect shots, but there’s also merit to putting down the camera and simply enjoying the experience.
Hot air ballooning is extremely serene—it’s quiet, peaceful, and an amazing way to remove yourself from the stresses of the world, both mentally and physically.
The experience is exhilarating, but in a calm and safe way. However, it goes by fast, and before you know it, Graeme will be starting the lookout for a landing site.
It surprised me to find out that even the pilot can’t always predict exactly where the balloon will land, as so much is dependent on wind speed and direction. However, a good pilot will be able to navigate the air and find the safest possible landing space. He’s in constant communication with the van driver on he ground below, who met us at our landing point—which is different from your departure point.
In our case, this happened to be on farmland, and we landed safely and climbed out of the basket. Everything that had to be done to set up the balloon now needs to be done in reverse, as you need to pack the balloon back up again.
How do you remove 65,000 cubic feet of air from the envelope? Just as you’d expect—by rolling it up and leaning your body weight to push it out (don’t overthink it).
Once again, it’s up to everyone in the group to work together and break the balloon down so it can be loaded back onto the trailer. However, your motivation to get the job done, in the case, is breakfast—after the flight, the group heads to a local cafe with Graeme to enjoy a tasty breakfast and a glass of bubbles to toast your first flight. He also has plenty of photos and attaches a GoPro and camera to the balloon, creating one-of-a-kind photo souvenirs from each flight. After a scrumptious Eggs Benedict and a much-needed coffee, it’s time to part ways and enjoy the rest of your day.
Looking for more things to do in Ipswich?
The Verdict—My Floating Images Review
Is hot air ballooning worth the expense? Yes—while there’s no getting around the fact that it’s one of the more expensive activities you may do while traveling, it’s completely worth it for the incredible experience it provides.
Ballooning is something many, like me, dream of for years, so to get to finally fly was truly a dream come true—it was something I would do again in a heartbeat and I’ll keep an eye out for balloon flights in the future when I visit new areas. It would be fantastic to celebrate a special occasion as well, like a birthday or anniversary.
Flights start from $340 per person, which I think is a reasonable price for a bespoke, premium tourism experience, always in small groups.
When you fly with Floating Images, you’re supporting a locally-owned business, which is a great thing to do in light of the hardships faced by Australian tourism operators in the last year.
Check out prices here for your preferred dates.
Know Before You Go
- Dress warm, with layers you can remove. It’s cold in the air, but you’ll also have the heat from the balloon’s burner, depending on where you’re standing, which provides some warmth
- Goes without saying, but make sure you have straps to secure your phones, GoPro, and cameras
- There’s not much room in the basket, so leave your bags at home or in the van
- The balloon is extremely steady and smooth—no need to worry about feeling airsick
- Make friends with your fellow passengers! You’ll be in a small basket with them for over an hour, so makes sense to get to know one another
- You’re likely to get a bit dirty during the process of boarding and landing, so dress accordingly
- Floating Images is the closest hot air balloon company to Brisbane, so check them out if you’re in the city and thinking of trying a flight
- Be flexible—ballooning is weather-dependent, and if conditions aren’t right, the flight will need to be postponed. For this reason, it’s best to book your flight at the beginning of your trip, not the end.
- There’s plenty more to explore throughout Ipswich and Queensland, so stay for awhile, if you can!
I visited Ipswich as a guest of Discover Ipswich, but all opinions and views expressed in this article are my own.
