Brisbane Airport saw approximately 24 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 $90,000 — the aim is to raise $100,000 this year — and recent recipients include Little Wings, Baby Give Back, Fair Fight Foundation and Cystic Fibrosis Queensland.
This year’s auction is bigger than ever with no less than 800 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 a Bvlgari 18K gold diamond necklace valued at $11,000! There are several other necklaces and rings up for auction, not to mention Emporio Armani and Tommy Hilfiger wristwatches.
It’s not only things in the lost-and-found either! To celebrate Brisbane Airport’s 100th anniversary, 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 black box, a cockpit voice recorder, lifejackets, runway and terminal signage, and even a row of 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:
- Nintendo Switch, Nintendo DS, Nintendo Wii
- Laptops, iPads and tablets and many, many phones
- Headphones, earbuds and boomboxes
- Computer monitor and printers
- Power banks
- Cameras, tripods, GoPros, DJI Osmo Pocket, RODE wireless microphones & drones
- CPAP machines
- Jewellery, perfumes and watchers
- Surfboards, longboards, bodyboards, skateboards, RipStick
- Beach cabanas, umbrellas and hammock
- Musical instruments including guitars, a ukelele and keyboard
- Scooters, bikes, and toys such as Star Wars LEGOs
- Fitness equipment, yoga mats, massage guns and scales
- Clothing, shoes, hats, belts and buckles
- Travel luggage, wallets, and bags
- Makeup, hair dryers, curlers, irons, steamers and shaving equipment
- Tools, drill kits, grinder, socket sets, jumper leads, tool batteries, gardening tools
- Gold, silver and bronze bars
- Sewing machines, blenders and kitchen accessories
- Cots and prams
- Fishing rods, golf clubs, cricket bats
- Art works
- Portable gas fridge, esky, crystals and car shock absorbers
Special aviation items up for auction
- Runway signs
- Brisbane Airport centenary neon sign
- Departure signage from the International Terminal
- Runway light
- Delta Airlines 777 Model Aircraft
- Private Brisbane Airport Airside Tour
- Exclusive Plane Spotter Package at Pullman Brisbane Airport
- 4 rows of aircraft seating from an F28 jet
- Blackbox
- Cockpit Voice Recorder
- Airline lifejackets with Ansett livery
Practical information
The auction is now open and will go on until Sunday, November 2, 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.