It was cold, and objects on the plain around us were barely visible when Kerr told us to hop into the basket that had room enough for five passengers with the pilot. As the twin gas burners roared, the four-ton balloon gently took off. It was exhilarating! As we gained height, a vista of undulating plains and farmland unfolded.
We were hovering over Canowindra (pronounced ca-noun-dra), meaning “a home” in the local Aboriginal language. Canowindra, the balloon capital of Australia, is 317 km west of Sydney.
Apart from the initial whooping on takeoff, none of the passengers spoke, as they were busy taking in the scenery. Suddenly, the silence was broken by clapping when the sun rose over the horizon and revealed the magnificent Mt. Canobolas in the north.
The balloon went up to 1,400 feet, but later settled at 800. Kerr said balloons can technically fly at 10,000 feet but generally float between 800 and 1,000 feet for best viewing of objects on the ground. Australian civil aviation authorities do not allow balloons to fly below 800 feet on public safety concerns.
Ballooning is all about harnessing air currents at different levels in the atmosphere. The pilot does not have much maneuverability though and is able to steer the craft within a limited compass. However, air currents can guide a balloon over the course of a river, even following the bends as the river winds its way through the land.
Flights typically take off before sunrise since that is when the temperature is at its minimum. Cold air is essential for ballooning, as the hot air generated by the gas burners goes up immediately and is trapped by the balloon, which in turn helps it get off the ground. The colder the atmosphere, the better for ballooning.
Since summer season in Australia is between December and February, balloons are not flown during this time in Canowindra. Commercial balloon firms are heavily dependent on local weather forecasts for the week. However, meteorological departments forecast weather for upper atmosphere, and since balloons negotiate currents at lower levels, much depends on the pilot’s knowledge of local conditions.
As Kerr explained the essentials of ballooning, the balloon floated gently over the town and its surroundings. We could hear dogs barking and see sheep grazing and flocks of birds flying hundreds of feet below. It was now time for breakfast and Kerr announced that we would land. He demonstrated to the passengers how to “half-crouch” and brace themselves against the side of the basket on landing to avoid injury in the event of a prolonged drag or a toppling over of the basket. Fortunately, no such thing happened and we only experienced a couple of harmless bumps.
Canowindra is a country town with a population of approximately 2,000. Its streets are deserted by late afternoon. You hear only the chirping of birds, an occasional car or the sound of your own footsteps. The silence, however, sharpens one’s senses and helps one appreciate the beauty of nature. The area is full of vineyards and farms – sheep, cattle and stud. A decade-long drought has affected the pastures and farmers’ earnings. However, two spells of rain this year have boosted the morale in the countryside as well as the flow in the Belubula River.
One of the main attractions of the town is the Age of Fishes Museum where fossilized remains of ancient fish are on display. It includes fish with armor shells and lungs and huge predators with jaws like crocodiles. A chance discovery in 1955 in the area revealed an extensive fossil bed dating from the Devonian Period. The 360-million-year-old formation contained the fossilized remains of over 3,500 freshwater fish. There is also a live aquarium in the museum.
There are also other towns, both big and small, within a 60km radius from Canowindra, which are worth visiting. They include Cowra, Orange, Forbes and Parkes, which hosts the largest single-dish radio telescope in the Southern Hemisphere.
There is even a town called Lucknow, not to be confused with the city of the same name in India’s Uttar Pradesh state.
Lucknow was a gold town in the 19th century. The town’s fortunes waned as the gold deposits got depleted. Today, it only has a couple of cattle farms and relics of the gold-mining settlement to show for it.
Cabonne country and its surroundings are an ideal place to visit and charge one’s batteries after enduring months of routine city life. The towns are well connected by road with both Sydney and Canberra.
In the absence of your own conveyance, book your journey to any of the towns by Rail Australia. The trains take you to Lithgow from Sydney. From there, CountryLink coaches take over.
