Sydney Centre Point Tower, Captain Cook Luncheon Cruise & Opera House

On Saturday, July 2, 1988 we arrived from Melbourne by plane in Sydney at 10:00 AM. Our Australian friends Rob & Norah Tolson with daughter-in-law Buffie, picked us up and first we visited Sydney Tower Eye

Incredible view from 268 m (879 ft) height and at 360º and the antenna spire sits at 309 m or 1,014 ft.
Do you see the Opera House above the 2 tall buildings on the left?

Turning a little bit to the right and you see Darling Harbour here.

Mushroom friend Rob Tolson explaining...

Here you see the word Qantas on tallest building in this picture...

A bit to the right and you see the Sydney Harbour Bridge

We continue with a Captain Cook Luncheon Cruise

Here we are approaching Sydney Harbour Bridge while on the Captain Cook Luncheon Cruise...
Keep in mind, it was a cloudy winter day!

Here we are in a photo taken from Darling Harbour with the Opera House vaguely visible in the back.
Husband Pieter, me, Buffie and Norah Tolson.
Yes, it was winter time and I loved wearing my Burberry trenchcoat for that matter!

Climbing up the steps to the Opera House. Me, Buffie and Pieter...

Next we did enter the Sydney Opera House
From left to right: Me, Pieter, Buffie and Rob Tolson

More up close with Buffie stepping in, husband Pieter, Norah and Rob Tolson.
Pieter wearing his The Bridge bag, gift from Italy in November 1986.
We traveled with the Tolson family to their home on the rocks at the Hawkesbury river...
Stay tuned for more!

Thanks for your visit and comment.

Related links:
Surroundings of Melbourne Mushrooms in Mernda, VIC, Australia | previous post by me

Visiting Uncle Louis in the Australian Outback of Broken Hill, NSW | previous post by me
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

Surroundings of Melbourne Mushrooms in Mernda, VIC, Australia

While I was visiting my Uncle Louis in the Australian Outback of Broken Hill, NSW, husband Pieter had a meeting at the University together with the staff from Melbourne Mushrooms in Mernda, Victoria, Australia.

That Saturday afternoon, he ventured off in our Ford rental car, to explore the surroundings of Mernda, which is very rural!

This is the winter view of June 25, 1988. For nature lovers a paradise!

Yes, Pieter was very lucky for stumbling across these Eastern Grey Kangaroos!

When I got back from Broken Hill and driving home from work on Wednesday, Pieter took me to the very location, so I too got to spot them in the wild.
LOVED their long eye lashes and sweet faces!

A meadow with cattle and also wasteland with lots of cacti growing.

As you can see, it is a very rural area around Mernda, VIC.

Showing the road with some rural homes near Mernda, VIC.

It looks like a big bird is in this tree...

Cattle in a meadow...

Vast meadow with grazing cattle and a skeleton tree.

Pieter did capture this beautiful Australian Gum Tree on camera...

Both of us did continue to work another full week for Melbourne Mushrooms in Mernda.
Pieter conducting a General Course for the staff members.
Campbell Soup used to have mushroom plants in Canada, USA and in Australia... 
That meant a lot of traveling and doing training for Pieter!
We did work very pleasantly here.
One more dinner with cousin Liz on Wednesday evening at a Thai restaurant in Melbourne.
It is very hard to find parking spot!
On Friday when we left, Pat, the harvest supervisor called me and came running towards me...
She handed me a handwritten note and a little gift.

Very sweet and meaningful!

G'DAY
MATE
photo taken with some blooming hyacinth...

A perfect keepsake from AUSTRALIA
An old water bag with cork stopper!
On Saturday, July 2, 1988 we got up by 5:30 AM and did drop off our rental car at the airport.
We flew to Sydney with the 8:10 AM flight.

Stay tuned for the next part!

Thanks for your visit and comment.

Related links:
Visiting Uncle Louis in the Australian Outback of Broken Hill, NSW | previous post by me
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

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