The hot air balloon is an initiative of the Sunshine Coast’s three RE/MAX real estate businesses – RE/MAX First in Caloundra, RE/MAX Property Sales in Nambour and RE/MAX Hinterland in Maleny.
The Announcement:
Heralding in spring in Queensland, Sunshine Coast Ballooning and RE/MAX Australia introduced the Sunshine Coast RE/MAX hot air balloon with a live radio broadcast from Sunshine Coast Stadium on 1st September.
Popular radio duo, 92.7Mix FM’s Mark and Caroline went live with their breakfast show, which included the on-radio auction of a flight for two in the brand-new balloon.
Sunshine Coasters, Mike and Julie Cook, came in person to place the first generous bid of $1000 but were beaten by well-known husband and wife identities, Mark Tabone and Lisa Curry, who called in a competitive bid of $1200, which goes to RE/MAX Australia’s charity partner, Make-A-Wish® Australia.
The hot air balloon is an initiative of the Sunshine Coast’s three RE/MAX real estate businesses, RE/MAX First in Caloundra, RE/MAX Property Sales in Nambour and RE/MAX Hinterland in Maleny.
Following its spectacular inflation at Sunshine Coast Stadium around dawn, the balloon was unfortunately unable to be tethered due to wind conditions, which denied Mark and Caroline their 20 metres-up-in-the-air experience on the day.
The Australian-made RE/MAX balloon is the fifth for Sunshine Coast Ballooning and the largest in its fleet. Its manufacturer, Kavanagh Balloons, is recognised as one of the major balloon makers in the world today.
The RE/MAX hot air balloon now offers charter flight experiences in the Sunshine Coast region, in the skies over Maleny to Caloundra, Eumundi to Noosa, and everywhere between.
Joel Davoren, RE/MAX Australia Managing Director, said “RE/MAX Australia is excited about seeing our name fly high over the region through our collaboration with Sunshine Coast Ballooning. RE/MAX balloons take to the skies in close to 30 countries worldwide and I think our Sunshine Coast balloon might take the fleet to more than 120.
“And while RE/MAX is the #1 globally recognised real estate brand, this is also a tourism initiative and a commitment to the Sunshine Coast community, and we hope that the balloon will bring lots of joy and excitement to both locals and visitors.
“I also thank 92.7Mix FM, especially Mark and Caroline, for the online auctions of balloon flight tickets, which raise money for Make-A-Wish Australia, our chosen charity, and our first winning bidders, Mark and Lisa, who will enjoy a hot air ballooning experience in coming months.”
Another four double tickets will be auctioned during the breakfast show in the lead up to Christmas, with all proceeds going to Make-A-Wish Australia.
RE/MAX has the largest balloon fleet in the world and the Sunshine Coast balloon is its second in Australia, with the other based on the Gold Coast.
If you are a local or a visitor to the region, to find out more about flight experiences in the RE/MAX hot air balloon, contact Sunshine Coast Ballooning on mobile 0432 182 873 or visit the website https://sunshinecoastballooning.com.au.
SUNSHINE COAST RE/MAX HOT AIR BALLOON – FAST FACTS
- The volume of the balloon is 260,000 cubic feet of air, which means more than one million basketballs can fit inside.
- It can lift over 2,000kg in weight.
- The basket takes 12 passengers.
- Hot air balloon flights are always early morning as the wind conditions are the most stable and predictable.
- The average flight is for one hour and can be from anywhere between the Glasshouse Mountains and Gympie depending on the wind conditions.
RE/MAX GLOBAL HOT AIR BALLOON FACTS
- 1978 – first RE/MAX hot air balloon flight at Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Fiesta. Slogan ‘Above the crowd’ became the RE/MAX slogan.
- 120 – number of RE/MAX hot air balloons, the largest balloon fleet in the world
- 26 – number of countries where RE/MAX hot air balloons fly
- 90,000 (cu. ft.) – volume of typical RE/MAX hot air balloon
FUN FACT
- The first hot air balloon passengers were a sheep, a duck and a rooster. Launched in September 1783, in France, the balloon stayed aloft for about 15 minutes. They landed, alive and well, about three kilometres from where they took off. The first human hot air balloon flight followed two months later.
Source: RE/MAX Australia
