Visiting Uncle Louis in the Australian Outback of Broken Hill, NSW

On Saturday, June 25 of 1988, husband Pieter had a meeting at the Melbourne University so I did fly solo to Mildura, the Citrus Capital of Australia and on to Broken Hill.

That's where my Uncle Louis, Dad's younger brother lives with his wife.
Yes, Uncle Louis is the Dad of my 1st cousin Liz and he also has 2 sons.

Water Reservoir.

Driving into the vast Outback of Broken Hill, New South Wales on Sunday morning after breakfast.

My solo flight from Melbourne to Mildura and on to Broken Hill.

Uncle Louis in his chair...
My own design and laser cut lacquered brass mushroom window decoration and another one, sitting on the shelf.
I'd also hand knitted a lace edging and sewn onto a towel set, for a gift.
Also a papier mâché box with tulips from Kashmir.
 While staying with my Aunt & Uncle, I've taken measurements for crocheting them curtains that I did mail out from the USA. The ones that my Paternal Grandma had done were worn out...
Happy times together as family and as kindred spirits with a mutual understanding for being immigrants!
Oh, I still have the emotional memory on my retina, as a 5-year old, when Dad hugged his favorite younger brother Louis goodbye when he came to bide his farewell at my Parents' home in Horst, The Netherlands...

This was the home of Uncle Louis where my 1st cousins grew up as well.
The entire family now resides in Adelaide, the capital of South Australia.
Uncle Louis was a contractor and he built homes and also built his own home.

Front lawn and street view.
Grass remains green as it never freezes in this hot desert climate.
They do have the very same centipede grass as we have here in Georgia; it is the only one that can stand the heat in summer!
Yes, Broken Hill, NSW is at the same southern latitude as Dublin, GA is at the northern latitude!
My visit was in mid-winter...

Driving off into the Outback of Broken Hill

Pipes from the Water Reservoir

In the center you see some of Broken Hill's Mines
Yes, Broken Hill is an isolated mining city in the far west of Outback New South Wales.
Broken Hill has proved to be among the world's largest silver–lead–zinc mineral deposits!

One of the many mines in Broken Hill

Another mine in the center...
We also did visit the Golf Course where my Aunt and Uncle both played.
And the milk factory that just had opened, for cows that got fed on sorghum instead of grass.

We enjoyed eating an ice-cream and had a bread meal before going together to Mass at 18:00 in Broken Hill Sacred Heart Cathedral (←click link) where I knelt down between my Aunt & Uncle.
Uncle Louis had done lots of wood carvings and restauration work inside this Cathedral.

Sacred Heart Cathedral, Broken Hill, New South Wales, Australia ←click link for short video

With a soup and pizza we ended a lovely day together.
Not that much driving around, by far not as much as Uncle Louis had done with his sister, my Aunt Nelly and Uncle Wim, who stayed for 2 months and he'd put on 6,000 km.
We know what that is as we'd done the previous year for Mom & Dad in one month also 3,000 km.
On Monday I left after aunt Gerd dropped me off at Broken Hill airport for my 15:00 flight to Mildura and on to Melbourne where Pieter did pick me up with our rental car.
With our AT&T calling card we did call Mom & Dad in The Netherlands and also my 1st cousin Martin in Adelaide, Australia who had his birthday (my Aunt & Uncle had called him first thing in the morning.
That very 1st cousin had stayed for 6 months with us while in The Netherlands on a vacation.

Stay tuned for the next chapter...

Thanks for your visit and comment!

Related links:
My 1st Trip to Work in Australia and also Meeting my First Cousin Liz | previous post by me
Husband Pieter's 2nd and 3rd Trip to Australia | previous post by me

Trips to Australia | previous post by me

{Angels engraved on lucky calendar coin of 1969} | previous post by me

{My Teacher, Mentor, BOSS & Husband over 44+ Years} | previous post by me

{My Own Design of Brass Mushrooms} | previous post by me