Scent as a Journey: Where Will Olfactory Take You This Year?

The beginning of a new year always carries a quiet sense of anticipation—the feeling that, just beyond the horizon, something is waiting to unfold. Already, my year has been shaped by movement: from the humid embrace of Cairns, to the rugged coastlines of Portsea, and the quiet hum of Melbourne. Soon, the energy of Sydney and the wild beauty of Margaret River will weave their own stories into my journey.

But travel isn’t always about distance. Sometimes, it’s about scent—the invisible passport that carries us across time and place.

Cairns: The Scent of Salt & Sun

There’s something unmistakable about the air in Cairns. It holds the weight of humidity, thick with salt, warmed by the relentless sun. The scent of damp earth after a tropical downpour lingers, blending with the sharp greenness of the rainforest. Here, nature is loud, untamed, and unapologetic—a sensory overload that reminds you you’re somewhere else.

Portsea: Where Ocean Meets Earth

Portsea, on the Mornington Peninsula, is a different kind of coastal experience. The ocean here is crisper, cooler—its scent sharpened by wind and the dry warmth of sun-bleached wood. There’s an elegance to it, a slow, considered pace. It’s the smell of morning coffee on a deck overlooking the cliffs, of mineral-rich sea spray clinging to skin, of bonfires flickering against the cool night air.

Melbourne: The Urban Olfactory Tapestry

Melbourne is a city of contrasts—its scent shifts from laneway espresso to freshly fallen rain on tram tracks, from the smoky spice of late-night kitchens to the clean, paper-laden hush of bookstores. It’s a place where scent feels layered, textured, unexpected. The kind of city where the perfume of someone walking past lingers, telling a story you’ll never hear.

What’s Next? Sydney & Margaret River

As I look ahead to Sydney and Margaret River, I wonder what scents will define them. Sydney, with its balance of salt air and polished modernity, its harbors and high-rises, its unmistakable pulse. Margaret River, with its vineyards breathing out their quiet, earthy perfume—wine-soaked oak barrels, sun-warmed vines, the slow exhale of eucalyptus at dusk.

This year, I am realizing more than ever that scent is not just about fragrance—it’s about movement, memory, and connection. Whether through the physical act of travel or the simple act of lighting a candle, scent has the power to take us places.

Where will Olfactory take you this year?