Long last, we arrived in Brisbane, AU on August 4^th (they even let Kam in the country with her Fiji-granted Australian visa). It had been arranged for us to stay at the Pacific International Hotel, on the 30^th floor. It's right downtown, less than 5 minutes walk from Boeing. This was a view from our room looking directly through the Marriott (with the dome on top) at the river. The river in background is one of the city's main attractions -- it's windy, and wraps it way all through the city.

On our first outing in Australia (after working all week), we visited the Lone Pine Koala sanctuary. It's the biggest and oldest such sanctuary in Australia. Look at that mama and baby -- they really are so cute, and their balance on the branches is amazing! Watch out for the ferocious koala cry however: It's a guttural cry that you wouldn't think could come from a cute little koala, but apparently, it means you're trespassing on his tree.

Kam did all right in the field of roos. She also learned the neck-pet that kangaroos love so much:

Bryon took his turn at the neck-pet, then posed with our sleepy friend. He looks cute and all, but left a little behind on Bryon's shirt when he was done with him.

Below on the left: this is one of our best family pictures here. Logan and Todd do their best to keep the birds away.

This guy doesn't follow directions very well . . .

After three weeks or so, we finally moved into an apartment. We live in the heart of downtown, in a building that's right on the river. Here is a view off the balcony:

A few more good pics from the backyard:

That's our sign of good fortune on the left. On the right, a display of fireworks being set off from the Story Bridge to celebrate Brisbane's annual RiverFestival.