From Cairns to the Clouds: Brent & Jocelyn of Wonderland Odyssey Take Flight

Some stories are best told from above. For Jocelyn Chiu and Brent Paterson — the creative duo behind Wonderland Odyssey — an early morning flight over the Atherton Tablelands with Hot Air Balloon Cairns became exactly that: a story worth sharing with the world, in two languages.

A Creative Partnership Takes to the Skies

Jocelyn and Brent are a couple united by a shared love of travel and the belief that the best adventures deserve to be told well. Jocelyn is the storyteller — weaving immersive narratives that transport readers to far-flung places and inspire their next journey. Brent is the eye behind the lens, producing beautifully edited photography that brings those stories to life visually. Together, they document their adventures through their blog at brentpaterson.com and across social media as @smilelikebean.

In a particularly special touch, Jocelyn publishes her travel writing in both English and Mandarin Chinese, opening their adventures up to audiences across two cultures — a reflection of the warmth and inclusivity at the heart of everything they create.

Cairns is home for this pair, and the lush landscapes of Tropical North Queensland have become a rich source of inspiration. Lake Tinaroo and the cascading waterfalls of the region are among their favourite local escapes — so when the opportunity arose to see those beloved landscapes from a thousand feet in the air, they were more than ready.

The Morning of the Flight

Picked up from Cairns city in the early hours of Sunday 29 March 2026, Jocelyn and Brent were in good hands from the moment the shuttle arrived. Their driver, Brownie — a familiar and much-loved figure among the Hot Air Balloon Cairns team — made the one-hour journey to the Atherton Tablelands feel anything but a chore, filling the pre-dawn ride with warmth, humour, and a great overview of the day ahead.

At the launch field, still dark and alive with the roar of burners, three massive balloons slowly filled with light and colour — a spectacle Jocelyn described as feeling like a private balloon festival just for them. Pilot Neil delivered a calm safety briefing before the basket gently lifted off the earth, and just like that, Brent and Jocelyn were airborne.

"The feeling of floating upward was surreal. Even though we knew we were leaving the earth behind, the sturdy basket felt completely safe — turning what could have been nervous into a calm, light, and magical sensation." — Jocelyn Chiu, Wonderland Odyssey

Floating Through a Living Postcard

The Atherton Tablelands in late March is a landscape at its most vivid. The wet season had painted the rolling paddocks in extraordinary shades of green, and as the balloon drifted silently southward, morning mist floated across the fields like a soft veil beneath them. The sky shifted slowly from deep blues and soft pinks to the warm gold of a tropical dawn — and Brent's camera never stopped.

From high above, the patchwork of open paddocks gave way to pockets of lush tropical rainforest, then back to quieter rural stretches. One of the undisputed highlights came when a mob of wild wallabies appeared below, bounding across a field in the early light — a spontaneous, perfectly timed reminder that the Atherton Tablelands is as wild as it is beautiful. The flight lasted around 60 minutes — though by all accounts, every single minute felt like gliding through a living postcard.

Back on the Ground

After a smooth landing and the always-memorable team effort of deflating and folding the enormous balloon envelope, the smiles said everything. Jocelyn wasted no time sharing the experience with her audience — Instagram Stories went up the very next morning, followed by a beautifully edited Reel and a full bilingual blog post that brought every detail of the morning to life for readers in both English and Mandarin.

Brent's photography — capturing everything from the pre-dawn inflation to the wallabies below — is a testament to what happens when a talented eye meets an extraordinary subject. Read all about Jocelyn's experience in her own words over on the Wonderland Odyssey blog.

Meet Brent & Jocelyn

Through Wonderland Odyssey, Jocelyn's guiding philosophy is one of connection — using the power of storytelling to transport readers to incredible places and spark the next great journey. When the adventures of the day are done, she and Brent unwind the simple way: lounging on the sofa together, watching a good series. It's a grounded, contented ritual that sits beautifully alongside their passion for exploration — and a reminder that the best travel stories always lead you back home.

A huge thank you to Jocelyn and Brent for bringing their storytelling craft and creative eye to our skies — and for sharing this experience so generously, in not one but two languages, with their audience around the world.

Jocelyn and Brent flew as guests of Hot Air Balloon Cairns; however, all thoughts and opinions expressed are their own.