Or, "Josh and Willow get engaged in a hot air balloon!".

It’s early morning as Rob (otherwise known as Brownie) arrives at Mantra Portsea Resort at Port Douglas, Far North Queensland. Waiting eagerly for his arrival are Josh and Willow. At this point, whilst all three are excited, it's Josh who is the most nervous about his morning, because he has plans to propose to Willow in the most romantic way possible - high above the waking landscape in a privately chartered hot air balloon with Hot Air Balloon Port Douglas.

Brownie’s excited as he’s been providing his exemplary customer service as a private transfer driver for Hot Air for years, and knows that all going well, this is going to be another fantastic morning.

Once Brownie has updated the passenger flight manifest with Josh’s and Willow’s details, they all start out for the drive to Mareeba, on the Atherton Tablelands, aiming to get to the launch site around first light.

Josh and Willow have flown up to Port Douglas from Sydney, where Josh is originally from. Both now live and work in the UK, and are in Australia for a holiday, flying directly from London to Darwin, and then on to Sydney. Josh is hoping they’ll head back to the UK as an engaged couple!

Josh has put a lot of thought into his booking, and made sure their commitments are flexible, and he has three days up his sleeve in and around Port Douglas and Cairns region, in case hot air ballooning, being weather dependent, doesn’t happen. He figures if he fails to fly on the first day, he’s got another two days to rebook. Good thinking, Josh!

Arriving at the launch site, Willow asks why their balloon is the smaller one, with just her, Josh and pilot Frank flying. Josh glosses over this and nonchalantly mentions that he “made the booking late” and “this was the only balloon available”.

What Josh hasn’t mentioned, is that not only has he made the booking well in advance, he’s opted for the private charter ballooning package for two - the ultimate personal experience. With just the two of them as passengers, Josh is aiming for maximum romance for his in-air proposal.

Willow’s convinced with Josh’s explanation. Or distracted by the amazing display of the balloons inflating at the same time. If you’ve ever seen hot air balloons standing on the ground before taking off, you’ll know the amazing sight with them towering high like giant lightbulbs, and swaying gently from side to side like upside down pendulums.

Frank completes his pre-flight checks with ground crew Doug in support, and it’s time for Willow and Josh to board their balloon basket. The high-sides of the leather topped wicker provide support and comfort, and the padding along the insides is soft as they practice the landing position as part of Frank’s standard safety briefing.

Time to fly! Disconnecting the balloon’s tether from the support vehicle, Doug waves as Frank heats the air in the envelope to a temperature that makes the aircraft buoyant, and slowly the hot air lifts the basket off the ground, and Josh and Willow are airborne! Within a few minutes, Frank has them high over the dawn landscape, tracking west-north-west, and just slightly south of the township of Mareeba.

In the air, Willow is enjoying the view across the Tablelands, whilst Josh thinks about timing his big question and Frank breaks out the inflight hamper of goodies that is provided on a private charter.

With the sun now lighting the landscape below with its early morning rays, and Frank maintaining a steady height, Josh takes the plunge and, leading with “I love you”, asks Willow to marry him.

On the ground, Brownie and Doug have been chasing the balloon along the roads around Mareeba, in constant contact via radio with Frank, who incrementally directs them toward his intended destination. Largely at the mercy of the wind speed and direction, Frank uses his wealth of flying experience to ascend and descend into different layers of air,  catching slight differences in wind currents at each layer, and steering his aircraft to the left or right. 

As the balloon approaches the ground, Brownie and Doug run to our happy couple. It's pretty clear at this point that Josh’s question has been answered with a resounding “Yes!”.

Immediately after the flight, there are excited phone calls between the UK and Australia, as family are brought up to speed with the news. 

With everyone now sharing in Josh’s and Willow’s happiness, Doug escorts the them into the balloon envelope which has now been pulled over onto its side on the ground. Proudly showing off her engagement ring, Willow cuts a stylish celebratory pose, with Josh and Frank all smiles.

At this point, the morning has only just begun. How often do you get to wake up, start off on an adventure in the dark, end up flying high up in the air snacking on nibbles as the sun rises, sharing a toast of bubbles with your loved one, getting your photo taken inside thousands of square feet of billowy fabric, AND get engaged, all before breakfast?! 

And speaking of breakfast - Willow has been so captivated by the morning Josh has perfectly planned for them, when Brownie mentions that it’s now time to depart for their tropical beachside breakfast at Nu Nu Restaurant at Palm Cove, she can’t believe her ears. Brownie convinces Willow that it's no joke, they’re bound for the palm tree-lined beach front atmosphere that Nu Nu Restaurant is renowned for to enjoy some delicious breakfast cuisine in style!

Josh and Willow farewell Frank and Doug as Brownie and his never ending supply of good humour and energy will depart the Tablelands region for the coast.

This article was written with permission from Josh and Willow, and the team at Hot Air wish them all the best for their future!

Josh booked our private charter flight for himself and Willow. If you're looking for the same top-quality experience to celebrate a special occasion, or experience hot air ballooning at its finest, you can book directly on our website. We also have options across four locations for private charters, and if you have special requirements beyond the package offerings, we're more than happy to discuss these.

Private Charter hot air balloon flights:

PORT DOUGLAS

CAIRNS

GOLD COAST

BRISBANE