Description
Travel to your Outback balloon launch location in the predawn darkness. Start your ascent as soon as the morning light starts to illuminate the rocky MacDonnell Ranges. Experience the remoteness of the region as you softly float across the huge open spaces of the Central Australian outback. While keeping an eye out for native species, including the distinctive red kangaroo.
Departures
- Free pick-up from Alice Spings
- Departures times can vary depending on the seasons
Since 1986, Outback Ballooning, a locally owned and managed company, has been conducting hot-air balloon rides in Alice Springs. We are one of the oldest ballooning businesses in Australia and the only one with a focus on remote outback operations. Weather allowing, we are open every day besides Christmas, Boxing Day, and New Year’s Day.
Our pilots have a great deal of local expertise and experience that they can share with the passengers. In order to ensure that the safety of our passengers is their top priority. Our ground personnel are highly trained in all aspects of ballooning and are required to participate in statutory safety training on a regular basis.
Duration
Depending on where we land, you’ll spend about 4 hours with us.
Usually, a flight will cover a distance of between 10 and 20 kilometres. About 15 kilometres south of Alice Springs, close to the MacDonnell Ranges, and above the famed Owen Springs Cattle Station, the balloon trip takes place.
Important info before travel
It is dusty in the Outback. Outdoor clothing (preferably not white), long pants, and a hat or cap are recommended. Enclosed flat-heeled shoes are essential. It is no colder in the balloon than on the ground, but it can be cooler before sunrise. Warm clothing may be necessary from approximately May to September. Loose items such as dangling jewellery and scarves are not permitted once passengers reach the launch site and disembark from the bus.
The balloon flight takes place approximately 15 kilometres to the south of Alice Springs, adjacent to the MacDonnell Ranges, and over the historic Owen Springs Cattle Station. You will see views of our amazing desert landscape and the ranges as far as the eye can see, early morning skies like nowhere else, and if you are lucky, kangaroos, birds, wild camels, and other wildlife that have been woken by the sounds of the burner. The flight distance will typically be between 10 and 20 kilometres.
Please note that we do not fly over the MacDonnell Ranges
Pick up Alice Springs Complimentary transfers to and from your accommodation are included with every flight.
Outback Ballooning is committed to providing quality services to you, and this policy outlines our ongoing obligations to you in respect of how we manage your personal information.
We have adopted the Australian Privacy Principles (APPs) contained in the Privacy Act 1988 (Cth) (the Privacy Act). The NPPs govern the way in which we collect, use, disclose, store, secure, and dispose of your personal information.
A copy of the Australian Privacy Principles may be obtained from the website of The Office of the Australian Information Commissioner at www.aoic.gov.au
What is personal information, and why do we collect it?
Personal information is information or an opinion that identifies an individual. Examples of personal information we collect include names, addresses, email addresses, phone numbers, and facsimile numbers.
This personal information is obtained in many ways, including by telephone, email, via our website, www.outbackballooning.com.au, and from third parties. We don’t guarantee website links or the policies of authorised third parties.
We collect your personal information for the primary purpose of providing our services to you, providing information to our clients, and marketing. We may also use your personal information for secondary purposes closely related to the primary purpose, in circumstances where you would reasonably expect such use or disclosure. You may unsubscribe from our mailing or marketing lists at any time by contacting us in writing.
When we collect personal information, we will, where appropriate and where possible, explain to you why we are collecting the information and how we plan to use it.
Sensitive Information
Sensitive information is defined in the Privacy Act to include information or opinion about such things as an individual’s racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, membership in a political association, religious or philosophical beliefs, membership in a trade union or other professional body, criminal record, or health information.
Sensitive information will be used by us only:
- For the primary purpose for which it was obtained
- For a secondary purpose that is directly related to the primary purpose
- With your consent, or where required or authorised by law,.
Third Parties
Where it is reasonable and practicable to do so, we will collect your personal information only from you. However, in some circumstances, we may be provided with information by third parties. In such a case, we will take reasonable steps to ensure that you are made aware of the information provided to us by the third party.
Disclosure of Personal Information
Your personal information may be disclosed in a number of circumstances, including the following:
- Third parties, where you consent to the use or disclosure; and
- Where required or authorised by law.
Security of Personal Information
Your personal information is stored in a manner that reasonably protects it from misuse and loss and from unauthorized access, modification, or disclosure.
When your personal information is no longer needed for the purpose for which it was obtained, we will take reasonable steps to destroy or permanently de-identify your personal information. However, most of the personal information is or will be stored in client files, which will be kept by us for a minimum of 7 years.
European Data Protection Laws
This section applies if you are based in the European Economic Area (EEA) during your interactions with us and sets out the additional information that we are required to provide to you under European data protection laws.
Personal data has the same meaning as in Article 4 of the EU General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”) and includes but is not limited to all information relating to an identified or identifiable natural person, such as that person’s name, address, email address, and bank account details.
Under European data protection laws, the use of personal data must be based on one of a number of legal grounds, and we are required to set out the grounds in respect of each use. We may process personal data only when the processing is permitted by the specific legal grounds set out in the law.
We have set out below the relevant grounds that apply to each purpose of data processing that is mentioned in this privacy policy. You can find an explanation of each of the legal grounds for the use of personal data.
Legal grounds for use of personal data
The principal legal grounds for our use of your personal data are as follows:
Consent: where you have consented to our use of your information (you will have been presented with a consent form in relation to any such use and may withdraw your consent).
Contract performance: where we are required to collect and handle your personal data in order to provide you with the services that we have contractually agreed to provide to you, e.g. where you have booked an Outback Ballooning flight;
Legal obligation: where we need to use your personal data to comply with our legal obligations.
Vital interests: where we need to process your personal data in order to protect the vital interests of you or another natural person, e.g., where you require urgent assistance.
Public interest: where we need to process your personal data in order to carry out a task that is in the public interest.
Legitimate interests: where we use your information to achieve a legitimate interest and our reasons for using it outweigh any prejudice to your data protection rights.
The legal grounds for our use of sensitive categories of personal data are:
Consent: where you have explicitly consented to our use of your personal data. You may withdraw your consent to the use of your personal data.
Vital interest: where we need to process your personal data in order to protect the vital interests of you or another natural person where you or the other person is physically or legally incapable of giving consent.
Legal claims: where your personal data is necessary for us to establish, exercise, or defend any legal claims.
Substantial public interest: where we need to process your personal data for reasons of substantial public interest set out in EU law or the laws of the member state in which you are based.
Public interest in the area of public health: where we need to process your personal data for reasons of public interest in the area of public health, such as protecting against serious cross-border threats to health, set out in EU law or the laws of the member state in which you are based.
Outback Ballooning Privacy Policy
Disclosure of information outside the EEA
When we transfer personal data from inside the EEA to outside the EEA, we may be required by law to take specific measures to safeguard the relevant personal data. Certain countries outside the EEA have been approved by the European Commission as providing essentially equivalent protections to EEA data protection laws, and therefore no additional safeguards are required to export personal data from the EEA to these jurisdictions. In countries that have not had these approvals, we will use appropriate safeguards to protect any personal data being transferred, such as EU Commission-approved model contractual clauses or binding corporate rules permitted by applicable legal requirements.
Access to your Personal Information
You may access the personal information we hold about you and update and/or correct it, subject to certain exceptions. If you wish to access your personal information, please contact us in writing.
Outback Ballooning will not charge any fee for your access request but may charge an administrative fee for providing a copy of your personal information.
In order to protect your personal information, we may require identification from you before releasing the requested information.
Maintaining the Quality of your Personal Information
It is important to us that your personal information is up-to-date. We will take reasonable steps to make sure that your personal information is accurate, complete, and up-to-date. If you find that the information we have is not up-to-date or is inaccurate, please advise us as soon as practicable so we can update our records and ensure we can continue to provide quality services to you.
Policy Updates
This policy may change from time to time and is available on our website.
Privacy Policy Complaints and Enquiries
If you have any questions or complaints about our privacy policy, please contact us at:
PO BOX 2702, Alice Springs, NT 0871, Australia
+61 8 8952 8723 or 1800 809 790
