Where is Loftus Lane? How do I not know of it? I know everywhere in Sydney.
Because it is referred to as the Quay Quarter lanes I thought it must be near where the cruise ship terminal now stands unused, where The Rocks market is. Walking by the area near the cruise terminal trying to detect a chemical signature in the air I couldn’t help but feel unnerved by how empty it smelled, almost like it wasn’t even there. Later reading the book Designing with Scent there were words for that feeling I had that without smell a place feels a bit unreal:
“Smell….is a vital part of how the places we inhabit are enlivened and made into what we count as real” - Professor Sir Nigel Smith.
It turns out that the Quay Quarter is a new area behind Customs House. It’s very new so still quite empty and will smell more alive once the hot chocolate, coffee and Mexican specialty food shops open.
It all looks very nice though - new meets old in that really beautiful way Sydney has been doing.
Entering the lanes I could smells dusty electricals from the back of Customs House, which made the new district feel less new, but all the construction happening in the shops and across the road give it a ‘coming soon’ power tool note.
There are some nice little bits of historical information on the walls, like the fact that the area once stored a lot of whiskey barrels. Above is a link to a whiskey aroma wheel if you are after descriptor words like peaty to bring the smell of whiskey to mind.
When the garden is open I will visit again to smell it.
Among artefacts found at the site are tea things so I have included the link above to a tea aroma wheel.
