Hot Air Ballooning
Northam is the home of ballooning in Western Australia!
Each year from April to November, you can take to the skies on a balloon flight over the picturesque Avon Valley followed by a beautiful Northam breakfast.
Windward Balloon Adventures
9621 2000
info@winwardballooning.com
PO Box 168, Northam, WA, 6401
windwardballoononing.com
Liberty Balloon Flights
1800 225 566 / 0400 694 299
info@libertyballoonflights.com.au
114 Fitzgerald St. E, Northam WA 6401
libertyballoonflights.com.au/perth-avon-valley/
History of Hot Air Ballooning
Hot air ballooning came to Northam in April 1977 when members of the Hong Kong Balloon and Airship Club were looking for a location to set altitude, distance and duration records for hot air balloons. Northam was chosen as their preferred site to set these records because it was within close proximity to Perth, one of their regular flight destinations and offered a sheltered valley perfect for ballooning with open farmland being ideal for safe landings.
In the early 1900s people became more interested in powered flight with the invention of the aeroplane in 1903, and ballooning became less popular and faded into the background.
The revival of the hot air balloon was pioneered by an American, Ed Yost. He was commissioned by the American Air Force to come up with a lighter than air lifting device for military application. Yost had made tethered flights in 1955 using a balloon made from plastic film and burning kerosene.
Ballooning became popular again after Yost made the first free flight of a modern hot air balloon in 1960, he developed the propane burner (resulting in a controllable and economical method of heating air inside the balloon), using light weight fabrics. This was the beginning of the modern hot air balloon which quickly emerged as a new and popular sport around the world.
In August 1980 the Western Australian Balloon and Airship Club (WABAC) was created. WABAC along with the Northam Aero Club jointly organised to host two National Ballooning Championships at Northam in 1981 and 1984. The National Ballooning Championships were then hosted again in Northam in 2015 and 2017.
1977 to present: Ballooning in Northam
In August 1980 the Western Australian Balloon and Airship Club (WABAC) was created. WABAC along with the Northam Aero Club jointly organised to host two National Ballooning Championships at Northam in 1981 and 1984. The National Ballooning Championships were then hosted again in Northam in 2015 and 2017.
Ballooning Records
Since 1977 there has been a number of significant hot air ballooning records which were achieved at or from Northam.
The Shire of Northam would like to acknowledge the achievement of the hot air ballooning pilots listed below:
