Get a bird's eye view of the Canola Trail in full bloom

There’s a new way to see the Riverina’s spectacular canola fields this spring, with Goldrush Ballooning offering sunrise flights over the golden paddocks.

Each year when canola fields bloom, the region welcomes visitors to the Canola Trail, which covers Junee, Temora and Coolamon.

The trail winds its way through the spectacular fields of gold, allowing visitors to explore charming towns and quaint villages overflowing with hidden gems.

This year visitors to the region have the opportunity to view the canola fields from the skies in a hot air balloon above Temora.

Temora Shire Council economic development manager Craig Sinclair said it’s the first time the Canola Trail is offering visitors the hot air ballooning experience.

“When we had our first ride … it was just amazing,” Mr Sinclair said.

“September is the best month of the year in flowering with no exception this year … the flowers are in full bloom.”

Coolamon Shire Council tourism and business development officer Laura Munro said the canola season was an exciting time for the region.

“It’s a beautiful time to travel between the Canola Trail shires … the canola looks vibrant,” Ms Munro said.

Ms Munro said the trail offered many benefits to the shire when visitors came through the region.

“It’s really important for our shire to see an increase in visitation,” she said. “It creates a positive buzz throughout our towns and businesses.”

“After the last two years, it’s amazing to see people out and about again. Supporting local businesses and attractions keeps our small towns growing.”

She said the visitors could spend the day visiting a range of different places in Coolamon.

“We have delicious cafes offering handmade items, such as Coolamon Cheese, The station Collective and Little Rustic Pantry,” she said.

“You can browse boutiques making it hard to leave empty-handed, such as Ruby’s Boutique, Lumela, Somerset Rose and Fisher and Farmer.

“We have the Coolamon Up-to-Date Store which showcases our history and heritage. It houses a number of collections and displays. Across the road, we have the Coolamon Fire Museum.”

The Canola Trail is a joint marketing initiative among the Temora, Junee and Coolamon shires for the purposes of growing the visitor experience and the shires collaborating to promote the trail.

The Canola Trail is a collection of the Riverina’s biggest attractions, within 30 to 40 minutes’ drive of each other.

“It’s an experience you can do either in a day or over a weekend,” Mr Sinclair said.

To book the experience to view the canola fields from the skies, visit Goldrush Ballooning.