Around Brisbane

We made it safely to Brisbane and picked up our Hertz rental car, a small, silver, bug-shaped model, then drove south of the city to our host's house. We chatted for a bit and then she took us to the mall so we could grocery-shop for the week. The mall had a Target -- a Target! -- so we couldn't resist popping in and checking out the clearance racks. I spotted my first Australian bugs, two small cockroaches in the bathroom, but they ran back into a crack before I could do anything. 

The next day (after she hand-fed magpies from her patio - I couldn't believe how close they came; apparently they have walked into the house too!), she drove us around Brisbane which was really nice because we would definitely have had a hard time trying to navigate all the places without GPS. We went to the Botanic Gardens which have a great view of the city, Mount Coot-tha, and a jetty out on the water.