Floating on air

HOT air ballooning has returned to the Geelong sky following a 15-year hiatus.

The last hot air balloon floated over the skyline in about 2006 and Geelong’s pioneer Ballooning company has returned, bringing joy to the public following a difficult year.

As the only of its kind in the region, Geelong Ballooning offers the ultimate adrenaline experience while setting flight over the Bellarine Peninsula as the sun lights up Port Phillip Bay.

Ballooning pilot Harry Fraser said the flights offered a unique experience to see Geelong from above.

“We used to fly here from 1998 to 2005, but for various reasons we stopped and only started again late November when COVID-19 restrictions lessened and we could begin to move around the state more freely.”

Mr Fraser, who has been piloting hot air balloons for six-and-a-half years, said he was not sure about the timing of the reopening following the last lockdown but the move had since paid off.

“It is something we always wanted to do, it is such a nice location, and the opportunity was there to do something different. We have received a lot of interest from people who are wanting to see Greater Geelong from above.”

Geelong Ballooning is operating on weekends with some weekday availability depending on interest.

“I think it is incredible as a job,” Mr Fraser said.

“It is a really nice way to wake up being a few thousand feet above with a bunch of people you have never met before and watching the sunrise together.”

For those considering a career change, Mr Fraser said to be a pilot you first needed a membership with the Australian Ballooning Federation and from there it was about making the right contacts.

“It is all about getting to know people in the industry and getting involved.”