Rosedale and Sale play host to Gippsland’s first hot air balloon fiesta

Weather permitting, there will be a lot of hot air over Rosedale and Sale next weekend (29-30 March) as up to 12 large air balloons take to the skies for Gippsland’s first hot air balloon fiesta and promise a night show to remember.

The get-together, which takes in both venues, has been organised by Adventure Australia Foundation Inc with support from Wellington Shire Council. There will be plenty to entertain the whole family and admission will be by gold coin, with a share of the proceeds going to the Supporting Relay for Life Cancer Research which takes place over the weekend at Sale Showgrounds.

Providing a taste for the weekend ahead, at 3pm on Friday 28 March a large balloon will be inflated on the Prince Street recreation reserve in Rosedale before taking off for a solo flight. Anyone is welcome to come and view the spectacle, and refreshments will be available.

On Saturday balloons will be taking to the skies from sports grounds round Sale and with favourable wind conditions most should pass over the town, making an impressive sight for onlookers. Then on Sunday Rosedale recreation reserve will be the venue for a mass lift off of balloons over the area. On both days the participants will be aiming to land near Stratford.

Highlight of the weekend will be a ‘Night Glow’ event at Sale Oval on Saturday evening, when the balloons will literally glow in the dark as their burners blast hot air into their massive silk envelopes. Admission will be from 6.30pm, with the ‘Night Glow’ itself starting about one hour later. Geared at the whole family, there will entertainment and food stalls.

Anyone who would like more information on the fiesta should contact the Adventure Australia Foundation on 5143 0200 or 0417 301 585. Alternatively, take a look at their web site at http://www.adventureaustralia.net/

Said Wellington’s Mayor John Jago: "Obviously with an occasion like this much depends on the weather conditions, not least the wind, and that will add to the excitement. The sight of these large hot air balloons in the skies above Rosedale and Sale should make for a truly awesome spectacle. It’s great to see this event come to Gippsland and Wellington in particular, and it would be good to see it become an established annual event in the area’s growing entertainment calendar, attracting crowds from across the region and from farther afield."

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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