Terence Quek experienced perfect "Diamond Weather" high above a dreamy Hunter Valley.
We were half asleep when our four-wheeler pulled into an open field in the dark. Eastwards, dawn was breaking, separating the sky from the vineyards of Hunter Valley in New South Wales that stretched into the distance. Stepping out, the crisp morning air was refreshing, but not as invigorating as the firm handshake of pilot Dariusz Brozozowski, in whose hands we would be trusting our life in an hour’s time.
Brozozowski and his two assistants from Balloon Aloft Australia, touted to be Down Under’s oldest ballooning company, worked expertly to sit the wicker basket on its side before attaching flying wires to a pile of fabric, which was slowly unfolded and laid out on the grass downwind. The team directed a fan straight into the mouth of the fabric, which began to fill up like the belly of a giant barking marsh frog until it became the familiar shape of a balloon. Aided by periodic blasts of the propane-gas burner pouring blue and orange flames into its centre, it soon gracefully lifted off the ground like a rising cloud.
Beckoning to us, our smiling helmsman invited us onboard, then made some final checks. With a few more turns of the valves of the burner, we began to gently float into the sapphire yonder.
The weather, or Diamond Weather – as balloonists call it – was perfect and pristine. Slow and predictable winds from the northwest provided plenty of steerage so our pilot could go anywhere he desired. As we continued to ascend steadily, the sun peered over the horizon, painting the land below us a sea of gold, while behind us, the majestic blue ridges of Barrington Tops created an awesome backdrop. We imagined what it must have been like for Jean-François Pilâtre de Rozier and François Laurent when they first lifted off in a Montgolfier balloon in 1783, the only difference being that they stood on a dreadful open platform, while we nestled comfortably in our wicker nest.
Our vessel drifted quietly with the air current at a speed of 20km/h in a southeasterly direction towards Cessnock Airport, about 20km away from our departure point. Below us, dreaming villages were beginning to awake. Brozozowski skilfully guided the balloon over trees and rooftops, over plains and bouncing kangaroos, and even over a lake where we glimpsed our own reflection!
An hour after takeoff, we landed without a thud on an open field at Cessnock Airport. Everyone clambered out of the basket and lent a hand in deflating and folding up our “aircraft”. Within minutes, our orb, measuring 240,000 cubic feet, was neatly tucked into a canvas bag.
We hopped onto a minibus to base camp where we celebrated the journey with a champagne toast – a tradition started by 18th-century French aeronauts.
We sat around, recalling our enchanting experience until our thoughts turned to the words of the balloonist’s prayer on our flight certificate: “May the winds welcome you with softness. May the sun bless you with his warm hands. May you fly so high and so well that God joins you in laughter and sets you gently back into the loving arms of Mother Earth.” Yes, it was good to be alive.
BET YOU DIDN'T KNOW...
- The first recorded hot-air balloon flight was manned by Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier, who were inspired by the ability of smoke to carry ash fragments aloft. Their historic journey took place before a crowd of dignitaries and locals in Annonay, France on June 5, 1783.
- ?The first balloon ascent in Australia was made by Joseph Dean at the Cremone Gardens Amusement Park in Victoria in 1858.
- Three types of balloons are commonly used – hot-air balloons, gas balloons and Roziere, a combination of gas and hot air.
FACT FILE
- Rates: A$295/US$263 per adult, A$180/US$161 per child. Breakfast is optional and hotel transfers can be arranged at an extra charge. Compulsory insurance of A$20/US$18 per person applies. Flights at sunrise daily.
- Balloons Aloft, tel 61 7 5578 2244 or email [email protected]
