Hello Stockholm, this is Australia calling!!

This is why we are here. The Grand Final of Eurovision 2016. What a spectacular, glamorous and glittered filled event. With just the right amount of wind machines. And according to the international judges from 42 countries, Australia's Dami Im won!!!! At the completion of the point allocation she was over 100 points ahead and had achieved the majority of 12 points allocated. But I jump ahead.

3 hours earlier we were dressed and ready and out the door on our way to Globen station and the Ericsson Globe Arena. We had arranged to meet Darryl's friends Karen and Gareth. Gareth won the SBS competition to be the social media presenter and invited Karen along for the ride. 5 Central Coast souls at least represented at Eurovision.

By 7 pm we were at the venue and strolled with a very excited and over dressed crowd. There were British people in full Union Jack suits, Dutch folks with fluro glow in the dark orange hats, more Swedish flags than an IKEA outlet and at least on drag ABBA group arrived on the same train as us and sang 'Waterloo' all the way out of the subway tunnel. This is building into a great event.

We had dinner in the Globe Star pub with Karen and Gareth then about 8 joined the 'pat down' lines. Yep, empty your pockets, everyone gets a pat down. This was fun picking your pat downer and efficient as usual for Sweden. Only slight down side was no cameras. Of course this was not advertised anywhere and given every phone these days has a camera it seems a little pointless banning real cameras. But they were the rules told to us for the first time inside the hall. So for me back outside, across the court yard, down the steps to the coach stop, over the road, past the hotel to the orange shipping crate where a friendly blonde lady was swapping paper ticket numbers for cameras. I wasn't the only one surprised by this technological discrimination. But this is Stockholm and digital cameras are not compatible with this country as we have seen previously. Back up the stairs past the buses, hotel and courtyard into the pat down queue, choose a different pat downer......there needs to be some reward, and into the anti room where Chris and Darryl have been trapped between pat down and show your tickets as the tickets were in my jacket pocket. But at last after 25 mins we three are through the doors into the merchandise hall.

And boy there is a lot to choose from, so we got a lot. In total, 3 T-shirts, 1 hat, 1 scarf, 1 lanyard, 1 programme and 1 CD. Chris scored a packet of ear plugs while he was waiting which will come in handy when Ukraine and Lithuania start caterwauling and on the planes home.

Then load the oxygen cylinders, strap on the climbing shoes and let's begin. First a simple ramp maneuver to the Laktäre B or second level concourse. Hmmm seems simple enough, bit like the Guggenheim, just keep spiraling to the top. But all fun ended there. An ominous white framed wired glass door straight out of a Stalinist asylum labeled Laktäre Öster C. East concourse C. The nose bleed section was up the stairs, and more stairs, followed by steps leading to the stairs than guide you exhaustingly to the stairs section to level C. Altitude sickness set in and there where medical post (extra bars) on the way. And we reached the top of the Globe. It is so steep at the top I seriously got a bit giddy walking down to our seats. But we were 4 rows back from the balcony just to the side of the stage and we could see the green room. A long way back but an amazing view.

The night kicks off quickly and the songs have a strict 3 minute time limit and the stage crew were incredible with the set changes. 30 seconds saw a complete change of some really complex staging. The floor is a huge computer screen able to display interactive images to support the 3D light displays and stage back wall.

At this point I am going to give you my intimate detailed explanation of each of the 26 songs.

Act 1) Belgium - Laura Tesoro singing "What's the Pressure". She comes on wearing a silver short skirt backed by blah blah blah.............snore.........get to the good stuff.

Act 3) The Netherlands - Douwe Bob sang a really great folk rock song and the stage lighting focused on a massive clock.

Act 5) Hungary - Freddie, the best of the boy fest. Good song and raunchy voice and visual. Simple and hot.

Act 11) France - Amir. Since it's against the rules to vote for your own country. This was my hope for a win. This song sung in French and English was brilliant. Great sex appeal, and first time on stage as France is one of the 6 countries that automatically goes to the final. The others being Spain, Italy, Germany United Kingdom and the host nation. So Sweden this time. Sweden and the UK had songs that warranted a finals birth. But I think the other 3 would have been knocked out if they had to compete in the rounds, buts thems is the rules.

Act 13) Australia - Dami Im singing 'Sound of Silence'. She was brilliant. And this is not a bias opinion. She has a fantastic voice and the song was powerful without being supported by a dramatic effect wind machine. And she WON the international judges vote by over 100 points. Trouble is, there are enough people who think Eurovision should be for European countries only like Israel, Turkey, well Istanbul and Russia, well the western half. And therefore the European cultures like Australia, and the USA are not European enough for Eurovision. Rant over, but we came second to Ukraine Caterwauling like a Banshee because of the public vote. But Banshees have won before and will win again.

Act 16) Lithuania - Donny Montell. Bagpipes and 10 year olds at their first violin lesson have produced a more pleasant sound. This is a singing competition not a tattoo and body piecing parade. But there is no booing at Eurovision.

Acts 18 & 19) Russia & Ukraine. Eurovision is not political. Just because the top two favourites are on the verge of war with each other and the Ukraine song was about invasion does not mean victory. Ukraine had a big wind machine and it got her over the line. Dami Im was beaten by a caterwauling woman and a wind machine. She got the public vote which upped her score by over 300 points on one go.

But no sour grapes really, it was a good song and the energy of her performance was real. But this does mean Chris, Darryl and I will have to think of another reason to go to France because I have no desire to go to Kiev. I simple don't way they cook chicken.

So after all the voting, glamour, glitz and the sheer boredom of watching Justin Timberlake moan along for his 5 mins of Eurovision fame we finished the night at about 1 am.

Descended the stairs, remember all those stairs, yep we walked 'em all again and back tracked to the station and had a pretty good trip back to the hostel.

Tonight was worth everything. It was incredible to experience Eurovision and lucky to see it in Sweden which has such a phenomenal history having won it 6 times starting with ABBA in 1974 in Brighton. This is what started all this RoChDa Scandinavia 2016 adventure in the first place.

Take a breath now, chill today, and off to Copenhagen tomorrow. Country #8, currency # 6 and train trip # 5.

Written by Rod