Our man in Brisbane Oliver Brett reports: "0730 local time (only two hours to go before the toss). I can barely type.
"From my 12th floor balcony, the six-lane highway carrying traffic from the nothern suburbs to the central business district looks suspiciously empty. I think there may be a few absentees at work today.
"Out to the north-east, a plane gets ready to touch down at the airport - quite possibly carrying the last of the Barmy Army infantry - and under the Storey Bridge the Brisbane River glistens.
"There's not a cloud in the sky, and the air is thick with the scent of late spring blossom and birdsong. Let the games commence!"
