Brisbane Airport saw a record 25 million passengers travel through its terminals in the past year. So many flights, so many layovers, so many airport beers and, most importantly, so many lost items! Although the airport does its best to reunite owners with the belongings, items that remain unclaimed beyond the standard holding period become fair game to be auctioned off.
The airport’s annual lost-and-found auction makes it so everyone, even the people who lost things, comes out a winner! If you’re looking to bid, you can find almost anything you can imagine bringing to the airport — and even stuff that you can’t imagine! And, if you’re one of the unlucky people who left something behind, at least you may be comforted by the fact that all proceeds go towards Queensland children’s charities. So, in a roundabout way, those sunglasses you forgot in the seat pocket in front of you fed a child. We don’t want to overuse the word “hero”, but we’ll let you decide.
Last year’s auction raised $160,000 for the Courier Mail Children’s Fund, recent recipients include Little Wings, Baby Give Back, Fair Fight Foundation and Cystic Fibrosis Queensland, and this year they’re donating 100% of the proceeds the Children’s Hospital Foundation.
This year’s auction is bigger than ever with no less than 700 unique lots open for bidding and $1 reserves on all lots. The items up for sale include all the usuals, such as laptops, tablets, phones, cameras and gaming consoles, and even bigger things like scooters, bikes and drones!
Some of the biggest hitters this year are fashion and jewellery items, like Swarovski and Pandora bracelets. There are several other necklaces and rings up for auction, not to mention a Seiko wristwatch and a Burberry handkerchief.
It’s not only things in the lost-and-found either! The auction also features a collection of heritage aviation items, giving enthusiasts — or those with a penchant for quirky décor — a rare chance to own a piece of history. Donated by Aviation Australia, some of the memorabilia include a pilot’s seat, an instrument panel, pilot’s yoke, runway and terminal signage, and even plane seats!
If you’ve transcended the need for material belongings, there are also experiences up for auction, from a Brisbane Lions VIP Experience Package to a behind-the-scenes personal airside tour of Brisbane Airport, and even 12 months of free parking at Brisbane Airport, you never know what you might find!
Items up for auction
Though this is by no means an exhaustive list, here are some of the highlights of the unclaimed items you can bid on:
- Laptops, tablets, and phones
- Headphones (including Air Pods)
- iPod
- Smartwatches
- Charging banks
- Luxury perfumes and jewellery
- Outboard engine for a boat
- Equestrian helmet
- Christmas tree
- Ariat boots
- Radio-controlled helicopter
- DJI drones
- CPAP machines
- Towbar
- Gaming consoles
- Camp stove, tent and sleeping bag
- Surfboards and boogie boards
- Bikes, e-scooters and roller skates
- Guitar
- Giant Bluey plush
- Sewing machine
- Power tools
- Brand new American Tourister suitcase
Special aviation items up for auction
- Pilot’s seat
- Nose cone
- Emergency exit
- Instrument panel
- Aircraft lights
- Pilot’s yoke
Practical information
The auction is now open and will go on until Sunday, November 8, with lots being progressively closed off that day and bidding on premium items featured in a livestream from 10am.
You can see all the lots and bid on them through Lloyds, here.
