our 1st Aussie weekend

This was the view from our hotel. They all loved sitting there watching the boats go by. Must be in there genes.

DB thought this was so cool. Just a police motorcycle in the middle of  the Queen Street Mall

  We wanted to take the kids a couple places to get them excited about moving halfway around the world. 1st we did the Koala Sanctuary. We took a boat there and it was cool to them talk about various landmarks along the river & not your typical historical facts. Brisbane was hit by the floods in 2011 and they are still working on rebuilding some areas. The Koala Sanctuary was very cool. Koalas everywhere! You could hold them & get your photo taken with them. There was also a giant field full of kangaroos. You could walk in and they let you come right up to them and pet them. We found one with a joey in it's pouch. Another couple were working on making a joey ;-) It was surreal to be that close to an animal i had never even set eyes on before, let alone pet them too. We strolled around checking out the rest of the animals there and grabbed a bite to eat before it was time to head back on the boat.
 

 Their first CityCat ride

 Dont they look like they are loving life right now?

 She finally smiles

Southbank is an area right along the Brisbane river that is amazing. It has tons of restaurants, an open air market market on the weekends, and festivals throughout the year. A beach, water park/playground, giant Ferris wheel, & tons of paths and grassy areas to make it a huge tourist attraction year round. The kids loved the beach and didn't mind the chilly water, since it is winter here. I think they are going to love Australia as much as we do!