Afternoon – Flight Only

Ballooning is an audience participation activity, and you will be encouraged to assist with the set up and pack away of the balloon. It is an active morning in the outdoors.

• Closed toe footwear is compulsory. DO NOT WEAR high-heeled shoes, thongs/flip flops or open-toe shoes.

• Your feet can get wet and cold in the early morning dew. Bring a spare change of socks & shoes, especially in winter!

• Wear warm clothes as for hiking, sturdy shoes, warm socks and a cap as the burners radiate heat.

• Make sure you have pockets with zips so you can keep personal items safe.

• Do not bring any bags as these will not be allowed on the balloon. You can leave them in the ground crew vehicle whilst on your flight or at home/in your hotel.

• Generally, it will not be any colder in the air during the flight than it is on the ground, so wear layered clothing that can be removed as the day warms up.

• Don’t forget to bring your camera as there are plenty of photo opportunities. This is carried at your own risk.

All meeting points have parking available:

• Yarra Valley – free parking at Balgownie Estate.

• Melbourne – Discounted $10 flat rate parking at Pullman Melbourne on the Park, valid only until 11am. Arrange payment post flight, through the hotel concierge, prior to departing. After 11am, the daily rate increases to the full daily rate.

• Mansfield – free parking: Sunrise flights meet at Alzburg Resort & afternoon flights meet at Delatite Winery.

We meet approximately 1.5hrs before sunrise. The pilot will tell you the precise time when you check the flight details (by downloading our mobile app) the night before the flight (see your booking confirmation for full details).

The below information will give you an indication of the meeting time but should be used as a guide only.

• January : 4.30am – 5.00am

• February : 5.00am – 5.30am

• March : 5.30am – 6.00am

• April : 5.15am – 6.00am

• May : 5.30am – 6.00am

• June : 6.00am – 6.30am

• July : 5.30am – 6.00am

• August : 5.15am – 5.45am

• September : 4.30am – 5.15am

• October : 4.30am – 5.15am

• November : 4.15am – 4.45am

• December : 4.15am – 4.45am

You can expect to be with us for around 3.5 – 4.5 hours depending on which experience you have booked. This includes driving to the launch site, setting up the balloon, approx. 1hr flight, packing down the balloon, driving back to the meeting venue and breakfast. Return CBD transfers are an additional 2hrs total.

• Flight only: 3.5hrs

• Flight + breakfast: 4.5hrs

• Flight, breakfast and transfers: 6 – 6.5hrs 

You will be no colder in the balloon than when you are on the ground. The burners are located above your head and, as you will be moving with the wind, there is no wind chill. The burners can be quite warm so wear layered clothing & we recommend you wear a hat to protect your head from the heat of the burners.

The basket sizes used is determined on how many people are booked in daily.

All locations can fly passengers in smaller baskets that fit 2-10 people however generally, the basket sizes used in each location are as follows:

• Yarra Valley – 16/18/22/24 people per basket

• Mansfield – 8/10/16/24 people per basket

• Melbourne – 10/12 people per basket

If your flight is cancelled due to inclement weather, you’ll receive an email with instructions on how to reschedule to an alternate date via a link.

Please note, our weekend flights are extremely popular and can book out up to 8 weeks in advance at some times of the year. Please be aware of this when rebooking and understand that we will do our best to get you on a flight! You may like to consider a weekday flight instead. 

If you cannot reschedule, you may request a refund. Please note, discounted bookings & gift vouchers are strictly non-refundable. If your package purchased is refundable, a $25 admin fee is incurred.

As long as you give us more than 7 day’s notice to change or cancel a flight, the only fee involved is a $25 admin fee (if your package is ‘refundable’ and you require a refund).

• Within 7 days of the flight date, a $50 per person fee is applicable to cancel.

• Within 48 hours of your flight date, no changes or cancellations can be made to the booking.

Yes, we offer group discounts depending on the size of your group. Please note, any discounted booking is non-refundable and valid for a 12 month period.

Please contact our friendly team for more information.

Sunrise flights are scheduled 7 days a week. Weekends always book up the fastest. We suggest allowing 6-8 week’s notice to book on a weekend or try for a Monday-Friday flight. 

You’ll see live availability on our website.

Flights operate on public holidays, except for Christmas Day.

Yes! We operate sunrise & afternoon flights in Mansfield as follows –

Sunrise flights: available year-round.  Meeting 1.5hrs prior to sunrise at Alzburg Resort, Mansfield. Time varies throughout the year.

Afternoon flights: May – September.  Meeting between 2.30/3pm at Delatite Winery, completed at approximately 6/6.30pm.

Yes, you can arrange to pay in installments. Please contact our office to arrange a payment plan.

Yes! You can book/pay for extra non-flyers joining you for breakfast by emailing info@yuutours.com.au and quoting your booking I.D. During our peak season, additional breakfasts for non-flyers will only be confirmed the afternoon before the flight – this is due to limited venue numbers whereby our passengers have first priority.  

Breakfast is held after the flight so you can confirm the approximate time that you will be back so your guests can meet you there.

Whilst there is no maximum age limit for ballooning, a child under the age of 6 years is not able to fly with us due to safety concerns. 

Although there is no age limit for older people, please be wary that hot air ballooning is an adventure activity and on some occasions we may have a rough landing. All passengers are advised to remain in a landing position for the duration of landing, which involves bent knees at 90 degrees and back up against the basket for support whilst holding onto hand holds.

If you’re buying for, or taking someone who is frail, please advise them of the risk of a potential bumpy landing prior to booking an also let our team know prior to your flight as we will take this into consideration prior to the flight.

Those under the age of 16 will need to be accompanied by an adult and those between 16 and 18 years will require guardian consent to fly unaccompanied by an adult.

Global Ballooning and Burt & Davies have developed an Easy Access Basket (EAB). This incorporates a door to allow less able-bodied individuals, including those with serious physical disabilities, to enter and exit the basket with ease. The EAB incorporates customised seating, seat belts and a grab handle suspended from the burner frame. Unfortunately, we do not have the ability to take wheelchairs on board, nor do we have a wheelchair accessible vehicle. You are welcome to join us on our mini-bus or you can arrange a driver to follow our vehicles. 

For safety reasons, we do not permit pregnant women in their third trimester to fly.

However, pregnant women in their first and second trimesters are welcome aboard.

We strongly advise consulting with your doctor regarding any health risks and advice before flying.

Additionally, our pilots reserve the right to refuse entry to any passenger if they believe it may compromise the safety of the flight or the passenger, such as during very windy takeoffs or landings.