In a picturesque pocket of north east Victoria, over 100 people have travelled from across the world to line the ridge of a steep alpine hill and throw themselves off the side.
They're paragliding pilots- some of them world champions- and this afternoon, they're waiting patiently for the stagnant mountain air to whip up promising thermals, which will allow them to fly high and far.
As the conditions start to ripen, the pilots begin to rustle into action.
They take turns to launch themselves off the steep slope known as Mystic Hill, their wings unfurling behind them like a peacock's plumage, suddenly catching the air and allowing them to take flight.
In a matter of minutes, the skies above the town of Bright become a playground for 120 of the most accomplished paragliding pilots, who duck and weave their way around thermals as part of the 2018 Paragliding World Cup.
It's smooth sailing for most of the pilots today, but it's been a turbulent ride for those working behind the scenes to put Australian paragliding on the world stage.
Australia's ascent in the paragliding ranks
Just four years ago, the Australia Paragliding Squad ranked 36th in the world.
Last year, they were 12th, and now the pilots are keenly chasing top 10 positioning.
Bright-based paragliding pilot, David Snowden, said Australia has had great potential to soar on the world stage for a while, but simply needed a little push.
Australia's remote location has meant many of the world's leading pilots, mostly based in Europe, did not venture to the southern hemisphere.
That has put costly pressure on Australians, who have had to travel far distances to hone their skills with the cream of the paragliding crop, and become recognised worldwide.
'We've seen the standard of piloting going on in Europe and really needed to bring that to Australia," Mr Snowden said.
That sparked an initiative to form the Australian Paragliding Squad.
The top 20 ranked pilots in Australia were targeted, nurtured, and began work to take on international competitions, lifting the country's paragliding profile.
The squad has managed to secure funding from VicSports and help finance pathway athletes.
Mr Snowden said having world class pilots competing in Australia as part of the 2018 Paragliding World Cup will help boost Australia's ranking further.
"Having the PWC here in Bright effectively brings 100 pilots from overseas to fly against our best 20 pilots in Australia, and we're beating them!
"So we're showing now that Australia is amongst the rest of the nations and no longer are we this forgotten island in the corner of the world.
"They're the best in world these guys, and they're finding our conditions extremely challenging. That's great flying."
While most of Australia's top pilots are scattered across the country, they keep up to date about their training, skills development, and progress via online webinars, chatrooms, and live tracking.
It's not a sport for competitors wanting to make big money though, and most pilots have to hold down full-time work to fund their paragliding passion.
But, that hasn't stopped a growing number of people wanting to take to the skies and chase thermals, and many are welcoming the rising profile of the sport.
Holding Australia's Ranking
Pilot Wally Arcidiacono lives in the shadow of Mystic Hill.
He has seen domestic success in the sport rapidly improve since the creation of the Australian Paragliding Squad, and an amended scoring system was rolled out to reward tactical risks and push pilots to become faster.
"There's a bit of a revolution on. All our comps are booked out," Mr Arcidiacono said.
"Everyone's pushing and striving for the top, which means the guys at the very top have got to work even harder to stay there."
He said having world class paragliding on Australia's doorstep is also helping local pilots develop their skills as they learn from the best.
Australia's flying conditions are also proving favourable with international paragliding stars.
French pilot, Honorin Hamard, took out the top position at the 2018 World Cup, and said Bright has provided strong thermals and conditions.
He said from this year's World Cup it's evident that the sport's popularity is not just on the rise in Australia.
"We have a lot of Indonesian, Vietnamese, and Chinese pilots. It's the first time I've seen them, so paragliding is improving all around the world," he said.
While Australians have rapidly worked their way up the rankings, there's concern that a lack of funding in the sport could see the country's performance stagnate.
World class pilots are often required to enter competitions across the globe to maintain their ranking and skill, which can cost up the tens of thousands of dollars throughout the year.
Mr Arcidiacono said it's a challenge the Australian Paragliding Squad will need to work through.
"For me personally it costs a lot of money to go to Europe every year to fly," he said.
"I hope it won't stagnate, as long as those in the top 10 per cent continue to go overseas and continue to improve.
"I love the sport, I continue to do it, it's my life, but when you can't go and compete overseas because of financial reasons, and you consider yourself an elite athlete, then we start looking for sponsorship. But unfortunately, sponsorship is hard to find."
