Cairns is the most popular place in Australia to balloon. Hot Air, one of Australia's leading balloon operators, has the country's largest range, including some with fun themes. All are state-of-the-art with the best in safety equipment, quiet burners, custom designed balloon baskets, and heat deflectors. They also have a fleet of luxury coaches to transport passengers to and from the take-off area.
The Cairns area provides ideal weather and climate conditions for this gentle activity and its beauty offers unrivalled views of the Australian landscape.
A balloon wedding gives the special day something extra to remember, and the Getaway crew was invited to join Nerissa and Jason Moran as they tied the knot.
They were collected from their accommodation in a limousine for the scenic drive to the balloon and arrived in time to witness Australia's largest balloon inflate. Everyone watched the event while sipping a pre-flight drink.
The balloon takes up to 20 passengers and takes off at sunrise, floating gently for an hour as the landscape comes to life. Imagine drifting across the Cairns hinterland, mango and lychee plantations, cane fields, coffee trees with glimpses of kangaroos and wallabies getting ready for the day.
During all this, the happy couple were united in marriage by a wedding celebrant, all witnessed by family and friends.
Once they landed everyone headed to Kewarra Beach Resort, a five-star beachside property where they enjoyed a three course wedding breakfast.
The resort is set between tropical rainforest and the Great Barrier Reef, 25 kilometres north of Cairns. Its beautiful gardens are set amongst a natural beachside oasis of lagoons and tropical forests. They are a sanctuary for abundant wildlife and masses of butterflies and their resident naturalist, David Anderson, has been involved with the development and maintenance of the gardens for 15 years.
Ballooning safety standards in Australia are very high and monitored by the Civil Aviation and Safety Authority on a regular basis.
