Hot Air Ballooning

Since the swells were two high for diving, Aaron and I decided to go UP instead of DOWN. We flew with www.hotair.com.au/cairns. We just went online and googled "Hot Air Ballooning Cairns" and booked our flight the day before. They were a fun company to fly with! We got up at 3:30 in the mornings so that we could meet a shuttle around 4:00 AM. The balloons take off from Mareeba which is up on the Tablelands (remember the über winding road?). The drive took about an hour. There were five balloons and we were on the second shift of take-offs. We watched the crews fill the balloons and the first shift lift off. Then we jumped into the shuttle to chase our balloon. When it set down we piled in as the first shift piled out. It all took place in a very orderly fashion since our weight was, in part, what was keeping the basket on the ground. We floated around for half an hour and then landed in a field. We helped the crew take down the balloon and load up the basket. Then we were whisked away for champagne breakfast before the drive back to Cairns.

From the air we saw Black Cockatoos, Brolgas (a type of large crane), Kangaroos and lots of farm land. It was a very lovely way to see a bit of the Tablelands.