During my trip to Central Australia I took a balloon ride to the south of Alice Springs. Balloon rides take off around sunrise to take advantage of the cooler air. I don't know if you could get a hot air balloon off the ground in 40°C summer temperatures. The early morning lighting was a real challenge for my camera and I would have loved to have my new camera with me. The lighting was stunning with long shadows cutting across the spinifex.
The real highlight was seeing the concentric rings of spinifex. I was told that it was planned that way to help prevent dust blowing towards the airport which was close bye. I would have missed those shots if I took the half hour flight. The first half hour was mainly in the dark so if you plan on taking photographs take the longer flight or you may regret it.
