A beautiful balloon flight in the King Valley, one of Australia's top three ballooning valleys, and our most popular experience

The picturesque King Valley offers fantastic ballooning and Goldrush Ballooning is delighted to partner with Lancemore Milawa Hotel and Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard to create an amazing experience!

Take in the beautiful King Valley and surrounds in your balloon at dawn. From the vineyards and patchwork of fields, the views expand to the King and Ovens Rivers, spectacular Mt Buffalo, and the High Country beyond. Get a real sense of this spirited wine region from aloft and the enormous potential of the region to produce European wine varietals and gourmet produce. Complete the experience with a delicious Prosecco breakfast afterwards.

The Goldrush Ballooning King Valley Flight Experience includes:

o Spectacular one-hour sunrise balloon flight across the King Valley

o In-flight photography during the flight, to prove you were there!

o Hosting by our expert team who keep you informed throughout

o Easy parking at Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard, a 2-minute walk from Lancemore

o Transfers in our vehicles to the launch site, and return from the landing

o A full passenger safety briefing before take-off

o Delicious Prosecco breakfast - optional and highly recommended

Why do we recommend ballooning in the King Valley?

The King Valley's balloon flying conditions are the best in SE Australia. Located inland from the Great Divide in the north of the state and protected by surrounding ranges, King Valley has calm, low-level morning winds and more sunny days. Our launch and landings are gentle even though we fly a good distance traversing the valley while aloft. 

The views of Mt. Buffalo and Mt. Feathertop are majestic. Plus, there are so many things to taste and explore afterwards!

Schedule and Flight

We meet at Brown Brothers' Historic Barn approximately 30 minutes before first light to fly in the perfect conditions around sunrise. Our expert crew will provide you with informative details throughout. 

After a short drive to the launch field, it takes about thirty minutes to inflate your balloon. You are welcome to be involved in the inflation, and later the deflation process if you wish. Once the balloon is ready you'll be invited to climb aboard. You will receive a full passenger safety briefing before take-off and the flight is safe, friendly, and professional. The ground crew follows and meets the balloon at its landing. After deflation and a quick pack-up, your crew will drive you back to Brown Brothers. The flight is for an hour and the complete activity lasts between 3 and 4 hours and is suitable for ages 7 to 97.

What will you see?

Flights usually begin at Brown Brothers Milawa Airfield allowing us to view the beautiful grounds surrounding the winery before we fly across the vineyard. The King and Ovens valleys provide early morning drainage winds which often allow our pilots to navigate past the Oxley Flour Mill (built in 1868) and then fly overhead Oxley and the King River. From there we climb into the prevailing wind with great views of Mount Buffalo to the east, the King Valley to the south, and the Warby Range to the west. Occasionally we vary our take-off location if prudent due to the prevailing wind direction on your morning, for example, in fresh southerly conditions, we might launch from Moyhu flying back towards Milawa.

Breakfast

Join us for a delicious Prosecco Breakfast after your flight at the Lancemore Milawa Hotel to complete the morning's experience. Breakfast includes a glass of crisp Brown Brothers Prosecco, a hot-cooked breakfast of your choosing, and anything from the buffet including fruit juice, fresh fruit, cereal, toast, tea or coffee. You are hosted by your crew and it is a wonderful finish to the morning. Non-flying family and friends are also welcome to join you for breakfast.

Meeting Details

The meeting time varies with the sunrise time throughout the year and is usually around 30 minutes before first light. On the morning of your flight, we meet at the Historic Barn, Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard, 239 Milawa-Bobinawarrah Road, Milawa, Victoria 3678. Your Duty Pilot will call between 6 - 7 p.m. the night before to confirm arrangements for the morning. All these details will be sent to you in your flight booking confirmation email.

Price per Guest

Adult: $385  Child: $365  (7 to 12 years old)
Breakfast: $35 for flying guests, and $35 for non-flying guests
Payment is accepted by Bank Transfer, Visa, or Mastercard. Credit card payment attracts 1% surcharge
This experience can be purchased as an open-dated Gift Certificate valid for 3 years.

Flight Availability

Goldrush operates 7 days a week. A minimum of 4 guests is required to confirm the King Valley Balloon Flight on your chosen date. If there are less than 4 guests booked we will advise you and provide options to get you airborne.
We also offer Boutique Exclusive Flights for one guest and up, where it is just you and your partner or group onboard.

Rescheduling or Refunding 

The King Valley Flight can be rescheduled or refunded if the weather is unsuitable for flying on the morning of your flight. Also, if you need to, you can reschedule your flight with at least 7 days' notice. Please refer to our Terms and Conditions for full details. 

Getting to Milawa

From Hume Highway: Milawa is conveniently located just 11 minutes east of the Hume Highway, and less than one hour's drive from most places in Victoria's northeast and Albury/Wodonga in NSW. Take the Snow Road / C522 exit, or the Greta Road / C523 exit off the Hume Highway and travel eastbound on Snow Road via Oxley.

From Melbourne: Milawa is a 2-hour 25-minute drive northbound on the M31 Hume Highway from the Metropolitan Ring Road in Melbourne. Take the left exit just after the Glenrowan BP Service Centre (approximately 2 hours drive from the beginning of the Hume Highway) and turn right onto Snow Road / C522, which takes you to Milawa.

Accommodation

For luxury accommodation in Milawa just a short walk from where we meet, we recommend Lancemore Milawa. For budget accommodation try Milawa Motel. For accommodation in and around Milawa have a look at this list of suggestions.