Mildura Hot Air Ballooning

Two hot air balloons have been flown across Kati Thanda-Lake Eyre, hours before the weekend's wild weather hit.

It is believed to be the first time a hot air balloon has made the journey.

Read the full story: https://www.abc.net.au/news/2026-08-12/friends-fly-hot-air-balloon-over-kati-thanda-lake-eyre/107023914

Can you guess the name of the lake in the photo? 🤔

It sits right on the edge of Mildura, but the lake holds a dark title: it is the official "Ground Zero" for the worst river invasion in Australian history. In the 1960s, a highly aggressive, fast-breeding strain of European Carp (the Boolarra strain) was banned and ordered to be destroyed by the Victorian Government. Instead of destroying them, someone secretly smuggled the fish across the state and dumped them into the Lake. By 1967, the lake was completely overrun. It didn't take long for the fish to slip through irrigation drainage channels and escape into the mighty Murray River. Aided by massive floods in the 1970s, the descendants of those exact Lake carp exploded across the map. Today, they make up the vast majority of the carp dominating the entire Murray-Darling Basin. Next time you are walking the tracks around the lake, remember—you are looking at the exact birthplace of Australia's biggest ecological disaster. 🐟❌

Hey balloon lovers! We hope you’re following the Balloons Over Mildura page 🎈 they will post the most current updates for flight into for this weeks event. It’s been an amazing start so far. Good luck to the competitors and wishing the fun fliers a fantastic week!