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

My 1st Trip to Work in Australia and also Meeting my First Cousin Liz

Well, on June 17 of 1988, it was MY 1st flight to Australia...
Together with Pieter, and his 4th trip.

Yarra River and Melbourne City Skyline
It was a long journey...

Starting out on June 17, with our flight from Atlanta to San Francisco...

Non-Stop to Sydney, Australia where we arrived on the 19th at 6:30 AM and at 9:00 AM we arrived in Melbourne!
Okay, here is our VERY HECTIC schedule prior to this trip:
On Friday, May 13, I flew to Amsterdam, The Netherlands  and on the 14th picked up my Audi 80 rental at Timmermans in Horst, my hometown. To drive to my work in north Germany, on the 15th till the 28th of May.
Fun, driving 160 km/h after the speed limits here in Georgia USA!
We were once again having a wonderful marriage long distance over the phone as Pieter was in Ohio when I arrived in Germany at work!
On May 29, I drove to Schiphol Airport in The Netherlands to pick up my Pieter and we coincidentally met with his two nieces as his eldest niece and Goddaughter, was departing for Saudi Arabia again...
On May 30, we both drove to Germany for a meeting and planning of a training seminar Pieter would conduct in the future. Home by 1:30 AM in the morning... 
On Sunday June 5, my Dad drove in the Audi rental car with us to Düsseldorf Airport and he would drop off the rental next day. We flew to Venice, Italy and bought the lot to build a home and also did some consulting.
Saturday June 11, we got up at 5:00 in the morning and flew from Venice to Milan, Italy and on to Amsterdam, The Netherlands and home to Atlanta, USA...

With ONLY 5 days in-between, here we are now in Melbourne, Australia!
This was work for Campbell Soup as they had purchased a mushroom plant there.
We got picked up by Maureen Scholtens, in our Ford rental car with steering wheel on the right.
Staying at an apartment on the Royal Parade in Melbourne.
Campbell's boss, Paul Bourke picked us up in the afternoon for coffee at his home with his wife Rose.

I'd called my first cousin Liz already upon arrival at the apartment and she came to pick us up for supper by 18:30.
Jet lag? This is me after 2 nights on the plane and NO bed yet!
Here we are at my first cousin's place, she is unpacking some of the gifts I carried for her.
Yes, there are Van den Munckhofs in Australia too, Dad's younger brother moved there.

Two first cousins together from 2 continents: North America - Australia

Happy me and happy Liz after clearing off the table after supper!
We finally hit the mattress by 23:00 but feeling happy.

Wearing my silk Hermès scarf, gift from a Swiss mushroom friend...

Two mornings we drove our Ford rental car the 30 km to work, driving on the left and dealing with those tram tracks too!
Believe me, upon coming home we hardly had the energy after an entire day of doing training, to sit and relax by the fire place. We actually did not need such a luxury apartment with everything in it!

So after 2 nights we moved out and now we are only 14 km from work at The Bundoora Guardsman Motor Inn.
Now called: Parkside Inn Motel.
Bundoora, Victoria 3083
(Adjacent to La Trobe University)
On Wednesday morning while having breakfast, and when it was MY turn for driving to work, we heard a collision on the road in front of the motel; a fatal accident...
Campbell Soup boss Paul Bourke with his wife Rose invited us to dinner at DONNINI'S in Melbourne on Thursday evening.

It won many National & International awards including the 'Ciao Italia Award' for the best Italian Restaurant in Australasia. This award was presented to the Donnini Family by the Italian President in 1982.

On Friday, right after work, cousin Liz did pick me up for a night out; shopping and later we ate at a Greek restaurant.
Pieter enjoyed dinner with Hank Young, (the owner that sold his company to Campbell Soup) at a Chinese restaurant.

Stay tuned for my next post about The Australian Outback in Broken Hill, NSW to visit my Uncle Louis over the weekend...

Thanks for your visit and comments

Related links:
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