Skywhales Ballarat: Hot air balloons fail to fly at Eastern Oval

The cost of bringing two whale-shaped hot air balloons to Ballarat has been revealed, along with if another attempt will be made to get them in the air.

Patricia Piccinini's two Skywhale hot air balloons were inflated at Ballarat's Eastern Oval on July 10, 2022, but did not leave the ground. Picture: Ballaarat/Facebook.

A five-figure sum of Ballarat ratepayers’ money was spent for two whale-shaped hot air balloons to inflate, but not take to the skies.

According to Ballarat Council, about 6000 people turned up for the hotly-hyped launch of Patricia Piccinini’s Skywhale balloons at Eastern Oval on Sunday, as part of the town’s winter festival.

The council spent $25,000 on the display and staging the event, which sadly didn’t see the balloons lift off due to high winds and a tear in one of the balloons.

Instead, those who rose early had to be content to see Skywhale and Skywhalepapa inflate in ‘sculpture’ form and listen to a choir in the grandstands.

Ballarat Council chief executive Evan King said many attendees had told the council “how excited they were to see the Skywhales inflate even without the launch”.

“Generally the feedback was very understanding that due to the high winds it was a safety risk to launch,” he said.

Mr King said there were no plans for another attempt to launch the balloons in Ballarat, as they were heading around the country as part of a National Gallery of Australia tour.

According to the gallery’s website, the next stop in the tour is not until September 3 in Cairns.

Mr King said the council understood the next stop might be delayed due to repairs needed for one of the balloons, and urged those who wished to see them to monitor the gallery’s website.

Crowds had gathered at the ground since dawn on Sunday to watch the balloons take off with the temperature hovering about five degrees.

But one of the balloons, Skywhale, had a tear and was deflated about 7.45am, while the other balloon, Skywhalepapa, also did not leave the ground.

It’s understood spectators who gathered on the oval for a close-up look at the balloons were evacuated to the grandstands when issues arose.

The Ballarat Art Gallery, which co-ordinated the event, stated on its social media channels that high winds prevented the balloons from lift off.

“Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate the launch of the Skywhales this morning,” the gallery wrote.

“Sadly due to the wind they won’t be flying today, but we loved hearing Jess Green and the choir play as the sculptures inflated and danced together as the sun rose.”

One of Patricia Piccinini’s Skywhale hot air balloons rose up at Ballarat's Eastern Oval, but did not leave the ground. Picture: Julianna Addison MP/Facebook.

The Skywhale hot air balloons in Ballarat did not fly due to high winds, while one also didn’t inflate properly due to a tear. Picture: Facebook.

The event had already been postponed from Saturday morning due to poor weather, and locals were told to gather at the ground from 6.15am for the event.

A choir had also been organised and sang songs while the 20m high balloons were inflated.

Ballarat woman Alice, 21, said thousands of people had gathered for the event at dawn, including many children in their pyjamas.

She said a flurry of announcements were made as the situation developed, but many at the ground got fed up and left.

“Most people left about 8.30am after waiting for hours for a non-event,” Alice told the Herald Sun.

“At no stage did an announcement say it was never going to happen, just that it would hopefully be happening soon “

It is unclear if another attempt to get the balloons up in the air will be made on another day.

Readers reacted on The Ballarat News’ Facebook page about the event, with many happy to have at least seen the balloons in ‘sculpture’ form on the oval.

Elizabeth Trist wrote: “Sad for the kids (and adults) that all got out of bed early on a Sunday but you could see how windy it was with Skywhalepapa blowing everywhere and there was no way it was going to take off.”

Marg Prowse said spectators were evacuated off the oval for safety reasons due to the issues with the balloons.

“They were great to see up so close, poor (Skywhale) Muma went pop but they managed to inflate her so we could see her.”