It's the third day of Canberra's Balloon Spectacular, and it might have been the biggest yet.
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After balloons were grounded on Saturday due to weather, conditions on Sunday and Monday were "spectacular".
Monday morning had the greatest spectator turnout, with thousands of people seizing the Canberra Day long weekend to rise before dawn for a joy ride, a glimpse of that big old beagle or a hot coffee by the lake.
Some balloon pilots noted it was the busiest morning they've seen in all their Balloon Spectacular experiences.
Canberrans hunted down views of the balloon-dotted skyline, wandering out to sites such as the National Arboretum and Black Mountain.
Aside from the lucky ones soaring over the capital in a hot air balloon, there was one particular group who scored the best views.
About 50 stand-up paddle boarders made their way out onto Lake Burley Griffin to enjoy a golden sunrise, a close encounter with the balloons and even a cheeky tow across the lake.
Balloons dipped right down to the lake in a balloon-skimming or "splash and dash" manoeuvre. A few balloonists went deeper than anticipated, some returning with wet shoes.
"The Capital Chemist balloon touched down on the water, towing three to four paddlers across the water," said Matthew Scott, the owner of Stand Up Paddle Canberra.
Unsurprisingly, it's Scott's favourite week of the year.
While many would feel nervous heading onto the lake with just one precious device, the paddling pro brought two GoPros, one 360 camera and an iPhone. Talk about 'doing it for the 'gram' to a whole other level.
"It's the third year we've organised a social paddle out. We had by far the largest turnout today. We provided boards for 20 people, but 30 others showed up with their own boards."
The group pushed off from Canberra Yacht Club at 6.30am, and were ready for the balloons when the first one soared over at 6.45am.
Once the hot air balloons are up, the peaceful journeys usually last 45 minutes to an hour.
This morning, 15-20 balloons landed in the National Rock Garden. The Beagle balloon tethered at the site, allowing enthusiastic spectators to head up "for a tiny joy ride".
Other balloons landed in various farmland and parkland throughout Canberra, with one lucky balloonist mastering the winds to land at their original launch site at the lawns of Old Parliament House.
Tuesday's conditions are looking good, except for low-level cloud troughs which could spell out changes for launch locations.
