The cultural significance of wood fired Scotch ovens and the poetics of olfaction as a preservation strategy for bakeries in Victoria

Abstract

This thesis investigates how baking has changed historically in Australia from Australian Aboriginal origins to colonial settlement, and the present day. It looks at what remains of Victorian bakeries and examines how best to protect their remaining tangible and intangible heritage. By the 1960s mass-produced factory bread dominated the palette of Australian’s: Using RedBeard Bakery in Trentham Victoria as a case study, the research explores how bakers are reinterpreting and rediscovering traditional crafts of bread making. The thesis examines a body of scholarly work focusing on olfaction, then interprets how this could be used as a preservation strategy for cultural heritage. Projects from disciplines including visual art, architecture, design and history illustrate how heritage can find new and innovative approaches to evoke the value of place.