As Mercury prepares to go into Retrograde, the celestial calendar event that astrologists say influences forgetfulness, today, Uber is releasing its annual ANZ Lost & Found Index.

With travel returning to a level of normalcy, we’re reminded just how forgetful Aussies are, and the items left behind when using the Uber app couldn’t get more ‘Straya if they tried.  Multiple eskies featured on the list, as did a 10 pack of Jim Beam, an entire surfboard, a Woolies work polo, a cheeky budgy smuggler, and an XXXX Gold Cap to name a few iconic Aussie items.

What’s more, this year two Australian cities ranked amongst the most forgetful cities in the world, with the Gold Coast and Perth in 4th and 5th place respectively, behind Tokyo, Vienna and Milan. The Index also found that Aussies are the most forgetful on Friday and Saturday, between 11pm to 1am. 

From March 2020- 2021, phones, wallets, keys and bags once again topped the most commonly forgotten items, with glasses, clothing and headphones (often a single AirPod) following suit. 

But as we know from previous years, riders aren’t just leaving the usuals behind– the list features a range of  wacky and wonderful objects riders have misplaced including everything from a glass eye to a replica of Yoda’s lightsaber and styrofoam letters spelling out ‘Will you marry me?’.

And we all know that hunger can make our brains all the more foggy, with riders requesting  the return of a mind boggling amount of food including a chicken burrito, homemade Italian sausages, a lemon pie, meat and eggs, dumplings and whole frozen fish.

Feast your eyes on the full list below – and most importantly, instructions for how you can retrieve your lost items.

The 10 most ‘Aussie’ items lost: 

  1. One black thong (yes, the shoe)
  2. An esky 
  3. 10 pack Jim Beam
  4. Blonde clip-in extensions
  5. Surfboard
  6. XXXX Gold Cap
  7. An RM Williams belt
  8. A Woolies work polo
  9. Budgy Smuggler swimwear
  10. Photos from day at Australia Zoo

The 20  Most Unique Lost Items:

  1. Glass eye
  2. Small Sword 
  3. Sleep Apnea Machine
  4. 1ct diamond
  5. Yoda lightsaber replica 
  6. Dentures
  7. A Batman cape
  8. A doll head
  9. Crystal tiara
  10. ‘Will you marry me’ styrofoam letters
  11. Navy tie with a small bicycle on it
  12. The right foot of a Christian Louboutin
  13. A fluffy toy (chicken)
  14. Single piece of lego
  15. Bagpipes
  16. Two pairs of new underwear
  17. Stethoscope
  18. 2 vinyls, one Elton John album and the other Frank Sinatra
  19. Pearl  (fairly big)
  20. A painting with a woman dancing in the middle

If you’ve been affected by Mercury in Retrograde this year, the best way to retrieve a lost item is to call the driver – but if you leave your phone itself in the car, you can login to your account on a computer. 

Here’s what to do:

  1. Tap “Your Trips” and select the trip where you left something
  2. Tap “I lost an item”
  3. Tap “Contact driver about a lost item”
  4. Scroll down and enter the phone number you would like to be contacted at. Tap submit.
  5. If you lost your personal phone, enter a friend’s phone number (you can do this by logging into your account on a computer, or using a friend’s phone).
  6. Your phone will ring and connect you directly with your driver’s mobile number. 
  7. If your driver picks up and confirms that your item has been found, coordinate a mutually convenient time and place to meet for its return to you. If your driver doesn’t pick up, leave a detailed voicemail describing your item and the best way to contact you.

These simple steps are outlined in this video, which you can refer to next time you think you’ve left something behind.