"I can remember the morning she left, it's weird the things you pick up. I remember her being in a towel around her head and saying goodbye, must have been the way she said goodbye," he told 60 Minutes in an emotional interview in 2012.
"As I went off to school, when I came back, there was no one there in the house.
"The next day there was a telegram from England. Mum was there. And then that was it.
"I don't think she thought for a second it would be forever. I think she thought it was, 'I just need to get away, and I'll come back.' Dad used to pray every night that Mum would come back."
jackman's father Chris, mother Grace, and four siblings Ralph, Zoe, Sonia and Ian, all migrated to Australia in 1967 as part of the Ten Pound Poms migration scheme. Jackman was then born in Sydney in 1968.
After Grace moved back to the UK in the late '70s, Jackman's parents divorced, and the two sisters eventually joined their mother while the budding actor remained in Sydney with his father and two brothers.
Over the years, the X-Men star has slowly built a relationship with his mother again.
"As I grew older I gained an understanding of why Mum did leave," Jackman told The Sun in 2011. "We have definitely made our peace, which is important."
He added in a 2012 interview with Women's Weekly: "The thing I never felt and I know this might sound strange, I never felt that my mum didn't love me. I've spoken about it at length with her since and I know she was struggling."
Jackman, who shares two adopted children with his wife Deborra-lee Furness, has maintained a loving relationship with his dad, telling 60 Minutes Chris was his "rock".
"My father is a rock. My father is my rock. It's where I learned everything about loyalty, dependability, being there day in, day out, no matter what … It's always about the family," he said.
Jackman regularly shared the life advice his dad gave him each year on Father's Day.
"My father taught me to always keep my promises … Even if it turns out that there's a better option or something that will benefit me more. Be true to your word," he wrote last year.
In 2019 he posted: "Growing up, my father taught me many lessons. For example: before eating any snacks, you have to pass them around to everyone else FIRST. People thought I was so well mannered. But, honestly, I was just hungry."
The year before that it was: "Happy Father's Day to the man who taught me to show respect for others, for education, for being led by your passions. Who taught me to never stop growing and learning. To work hard and realise that preparation is the bedrock for success. And, above all, to find purpose beyond oneself. I love you Dad."
