Stephen Tompkinson (Australian Balloon Adventure) interview

Stephen Tompkinson once again takes to the skies in his new three-part ITV1 documentary series, Stephen Tompkinson's Australian Balloon Adventure.

Having previously journeyed across the African continent in a hot air balloon, in this new epic challenge he travels to Australia with experienced balloon pilot Robin Bachelor to explore its rich and diverse landscape and wildlife and to take part in the country’s largest balloon competition, the Canowindra Balloon Challenge.


Did you have to think hard when asked to do a second balloon adventure after your trip across Africa?

“I said, yes absolutely! I’d been to Australia before as I’m a big cricket fan, so I had been to watch England get beaten there a few times, for my sins.”

You were reunited with balloon pilot Robin...

“Robin Bachelor, our intrepid balloon pilot, balloon pilot extraordinaire! He’d never flown in Australia before, that became his 32nd country that he’s flown over with some 30 odd years balloon experience.”

You also got to experience sport ballooning for the first time - what's that involve?

“You all set off from the same place and you’re all given coordinates to a field some hours flying time away where there’ll be a big X in the field. You’re given a marker with your name on in and you have to try and throw your marker as close to the X as possible using the winds to guide you, as there is no steering in a hot air balloon. You can go up and down but the rest is up to Mother Nature and the skill of your pilot to get you as close to the target.”

Did you get any insight into the legendary Australian sporting spirit?

“They’re incredibly generous, incredibly welcoming people but when it comes to taking them on in a sporting competition you are always going to finish second. We were whinging pomms that had traveled half way around the world with a film crew - it’s not the most subtle way to announce your arrival or your intentions in a sporting competition! Yes there was a lot of good natured, but fiercely intense, rivalry.”

Your first flight ended with the balloon landing at 40mph and dragging along the rough outback ground...

“[I became] a lot more aware of the responsibility that Robin shoulders as a pilot and the fact that he is in control of the balloon and responsible for three other lives…However slight the injuries to myself and to Steve the cameraman, who had to be helicoptered out to hospital, he takes the responsibility for that. The way I looked at it was that an amazing pilot saved our lives due to the freak weather conditions that changed so dramatically when we were up in the air.

“Robin said it was the fastest and most dangerous landing he’s ever had to make in his 30 years. It’s only my second year of ballooning so I took it a bit more in my stride but I was very conscious of how sensitive he felt about it and how shaken he was…I was very proud of him that he overcame his doubts and his fears and by that next flight…over the wine growing regions everything was behind us immediately.”

What was your favourite flight of the trip?

"Flying over the MCG. Doing an urban flight over Melbourne was something I hadn’t experienced before. What a great progressive city Melbourne is to have such close relationships with air traffic control that they afford people this spectacular adventure over their city.”

Did you also enjoy the country beyond the flying?

“As much as I looked like a rank amateur on horseback I enjoyed that thoroughly being a stockman for a day. It was like being in a miniature film, it was fantastic. Also the way Melbourne has embraced their street artists…now Banksy comes over and Japanese artists and other European artists. It’s a country that embraces ‘can do’ people.

"That’s the one abiding memory I will take away; the spirit of Australians is very different from our own, I think we are spoilt having everything on our doorstep that we haven’t really had to work for that hard, which is why we get the reputation as whinging pomms. We really have nothing to complain about when you see what they’ve done with 200 years with a very inhospitable landscape.”

Ahead of their balloon competition in Canowindra, you and Robin met Baroness Amos, the British High Commissioner to Australia. Did she give you any words of encouragement as British representatives?

“She said ‘make sure you win!’ She was short, sweet, to the point, very pleased to meet us and an absolutely charming lady. She gave us the encouragement and support we needed. She’s our representative out there and obviously has to take a lot of stick herself so she was glad to share the responsibility! I was thinking about her when we were in the competition, it would be nice to get in touch with her again if she gets to see the programme. I don’t actually know [if she knows how we did], let’s get her on the phone!”


Stephen Tompkinson's Australian Balloon Adventure starts at 7pm on Sunday 15th August 2010 on ITV1.