While Joseph and Etienne
Montgolfier saw Paris from the air, they could not have imagined the sun rising
out of the Coral Sea in Far North
Queensland, nor watching kangaroos jumping in the Australian bush.
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Hot Air Ballooning has thrived
since that first manned flight, and modern materials and technology have made it
possible for hot air to carry people as high as 68,986 feet (21,027 metres). The
longest flight is 320 hours and 33 minutes.
While there is plenty of hot air
in the world - particularly in the political arena - and using it for flight is
a great way to experience the still of early morning.
The Atherton Tableland is an escarpment that runs
parallel to the coast behind Cairns, and it
provides excellent conditions for hot air ballooning. The Tableland is a
northern part of the Great Dividing Range, the inland range that runs all the
way up the East Coast of Australia. Near Cairns it varies in height from 1,600
to 4,200 feet (500 - 1,280 metres). The height tempers the tropical climate of
the coast.
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| Atherton Tableland |
First explored in 1875, it was
settled by John Atherton - the town of Atherton bears his name - when he
discovered tin and gold in 1877. The Chinese who came to the area to work on the
goldfields created what was the largest Chinatown in Australia by 1900, and they
pioneered the agricultural industry. Little remains of the Chinese influence,
though it can be seen at the recently restored Hou Wang Temple near Atherton.
Today, the crops grown are sugar cane, mangoes, peanuts, avocados and macadamia
nuts. Beef and dairy cattle are also raised.
So, let's take a hot air balloon ride. You will be picked up at
your hotel well before sunrise, and by the
time the sun climbs out of the Coral Sea on the Eastern horizon, you will be
high in the air. Kangaroos graze mainly at sunrise and sunset. As the sun rises,
it shines almost parallel to the ground, throwing a giant shadow of a jumping 'roo over the landscape. It can only be seen from the air with the right
conditions. If you are lucky - and most are - this will be one of your great
memories of Australia.
Cheers,
Matt
