We have now parted company with ma and pa Robb, as they head down to Sydney for a few days, while we have lined up some harvesting work in a little town called Texas.

We arrived in Brisbane on Monday after leaving Hervey Bay and the whales behind us and spent half a day circumnavigating the one-way streets trying to find where we were staying over the next few days! Once we were finally checked in there was little time to do anything except look out of the window at the electrical storm that was raging outside as the sun was setting into the night sky, before heading out for something to eat.

Upon recommendation we headed to the South Bank where there were loads of cafes, bars and restaurants. After a little look around and a walk along the bank we settled upon a Greek restaurant, which overlooked the lagoon and the river. The food was fantastic and we all ate like it was the last supper, so that by the time it came to leave it was a struggle for us to get up from our table, and the torrential rainfall that had started only added to our desire to stay longer. Eventually, we did manage to stumble into a taxi and get back to the apartment, so that we could prepare for the full day to follow.

Tuesday was our day of animals as we made an early start and headed for the Koala sanctuary just out of the city. As soon as we got there Leslie headed straight for the Cockatoo, and we had to point out to him that we were at a KOALA sanctuary, and there was much to see! We walked around the corner to where the majority of the koalas were kept and were thrilled to see that all of the animals, every single one of them, were.....asleep!! We had kind of expected it from some of the koalas and the wombats but we thought that at least the Tasmanian Devils would be running around in a Disney cartoon hurricane-style frenzy!

However, we had more luck with the kangaroos as we walked around their enclosure and we soon had them, quite literally, eating out of our hands. Then it was time to move on to see the Cassowary and Leslie could finally get the photo that he had been after for so long! We walked around the sanctuary looking at all the birds and reptiles until we came across our first active koalas in the "mother and baby" area, and we discovered that they can actually be pretty quick when they want to be as we saw one of them running / hopping across the floor to try to get into the male area on the other side of the fence!!

After a while it was time to move on and we jumped on the bus back into the city centre to have a walk around the main strip. We checked out a few shops and Lynn and Leslie purchased a few 'quality' souvenirs such as a cork hat and some shot glasses!! We also took a trip up to the bell tower in the town hall to look out across the city, and timed it just as the clock struck five o'clock, which treated us to a ringing all around us!

We went back to the Greek restaurant in the evening and were treated once again to some delicious dishes, before heading back to the apartment where Lynn and Leslie packed up ready to move on the next day. We said goodbye the following morning as they left to take the train down to Sydney for their last couple of days in the country, while we began the saga of finding employment for the next month.

We spent a few more days in Brisbane at one of the caravan parks along with Toyah and Stuart who had now made their way to Queensland's capital as well, before landing a job picking and packing zucchini's (that's courgettes for our UK readers) on a farm in Texas. It is on the border of New South Wales and Queensland, where we will be working for Ray and Kathy Micalef, and tomorrow our harvesting careers begin!!