In the early days of recreational hot air ballooning in Australia, when pilots were an elite and intrepid group of adventurous souls, the National Championships were staged in Northam in 1981 & 1984 to great acclaim. However, as equipment became more sophisticated and widely available, and introduction of regulations made ballooning safer and popular; the logistical difficulties of transporting the now 20-30 balloons, baskets, equipment, pilots, crew and qualified officials, saw the Championships held on mostly on the east coast over subsequent years. But a plea from balloonists for a new and exciting venue fell on Northam ears whilst they were attending events ‘over there’. An organising group was formed by balloonist members of the Northam Aero Club, and other Aero Club folk soon got involved. With support from the Shire of Northam, the group ran the hugely successful National Championships in Northam in 2015 & 2017.
Then came the ambitious aspirations from the local townsfolk, various levels of Government, sponsors, pilots and the ABF, for Northam to hold a World Championship. The group recognised that a broader set of skills would be required to raise the funds and manage such an undertaking, and so Northam Ballooning Events was formed.

The group went on the run the National Championships in May 2023 and the Women’s World Hot Air Ballooning Championships in September of the same year a remarkable achievement!