Above: Melonie Henwood, Bunyip’s Lizzie Brentnall, Melonie’s father and Ripplebrook dairy farmer Gary Henwood, and hot air balloon pilot Ian Chandler are hoping to stage a hot air balloon festival in Bunyip.Right: Hot air balloons are ready for take off.By Sarah Schwager
PLANS for a hot air balloon festival in Bunyip remain up in the air amid concerns the event could disrupt dairy farming.
Victorian Balloon Club president and Bunyip resident Peter Dutneall has been trying to organise a hot air balloon festival for Bunyip.
But local farmers have said noise caused by the balloons spook their cattle.
Mr Dutneall said the club might decide not to go ahead with the plans, as it did not want to cause problems in the community.
“It’s a brick wall before we even start,” he said.
He said there were plenty of other country towns that were keen to host a hot air balloon festival.
“Each month, or every second month, we get towns saying ‘can you come and put on a show for us’ and that’s all over Victoria,” Mr Dutneall said.
He said if the festival did go ahead it would probably not be until next year or, more likely, the year after.
“It’s almost getting too late to do it next year,” he said.
Mr Dutneall said he had been keen to organise a festival in Bunyip because it was his home town.
“It’d be great for Bunyip,” he said.
“It would be another way to bring excitement into the town.”
He said if the festival could not happen in Bunyip, it might be held in Pakenham.
Mr Dutneall said the club’s balloons flew over dairy country many times, and it had not been a problem in the past.
He said it was a “shame” that the club had run into problems in staging the festival in his home town.
Mr Dutneall said the club’s balloonists were willing to compromise and were happy to avoid the properties of the concerned farmers.
“On a good night we could easily get 5000 people from Pakenham and the surrounding area (attending),” he said.
He said if the festival did go ahead, the club would charge a small admission with all proceeds going to the Hillview Hostel, a nursing home in Bunyip.
He said the festival would involve about nine or 10 balloons flying on a Saturday morning, a special night event for the public, and another flight on a Sunday morning.
