Northam National Ballooning Championships are on this week, up in the Perth Hills. Northam is located 1.5 hours from Fremantle which isn’t too much of a drive, but I decided that I needed to catch the sunrise practice, so I hit the road at 4.30 am.
It’s hard to believe that anyone would get up that early to brave the freezing cold (1 degree celsius!) to see a bunch of hot air balloons fly over the rolling fields of Northam, but once you see the magic of the brightly coloured balloons inflating, you’ll be hooked.
Once the last balloon lifted off, the chase was on! I followed the balloons trying to get a good shot of them flying around, and I wasn’t the only one. Every man, woman and child I ran into had a huge grin on their face, gazing up to the skies.
Here are my favourite photos of the day. Enjoy!
Have you ever been hot air ballooning or seen a ballooning championship? Do you have anything like this where you live, or where you’re travelling? Share your experiences!
I would get up at any hour of the day to see this! This is beautiful. I’ve gone to a festival near my home once, a long time ago, but wish to be the ones inside the basket next time.
I have nominated you for the Liebster award. You can find/accept the nomination here: https://dartsandmaps.com/2017/12/15/the-liebster-award-2017/.
Isn’t that a fun sight to see? I’ve been to one when I was younger and thought it was just the coolest🙂
Your photos are just magical! I have a really good friend who lives in Santa Fe, NM in the states and I’ve always wanted to see the hot air balloons there. Never have but it is on my list to go to one of these events!
Thanks!! Its lovely to watch them float around. They’re so quiet and peaceful!
Awwww….I loved this festival when I lived there 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Thank YOU for visiting!
Amazing photos I’d love to see a sight like this well worth the early start against the blue backdrop
I thought so too – even if it required a lazy afternoon, haha.