The smell of the brewery in Chippendale was a distinct landmark for me when I worked in the neighbourhood.

Thinking about navigating by smell, and if you were clever you could find your way – and how scent indicates direction, like when you can smell the sea breeze. If you can smell the Northeast sea breeze, you know you are downwind of the brewery.

Also the removal or disappearance of smells from areas, indicate change of use of land and industry. Like the cooks river no longer has the smells of tannery and the sugar mills, and the wool wash.

Making a smell map of history, of different areas, would be interesting to compare to the smells of today. You could learn about the history of these places through the kinds of smells that were present. And also the smells of nature that were once prevalent.

SCENT

Yeast, wet wool, fresh river water, decomposing animal flesh, molasses, ocean breeze.

By

DAVID FAIRBURN