When you think of the Tasmanian landscape what sounds and smells come to mind?
Today's guest has spent many hours walking through the bush, noticing, listening and learning. In this episode, writer and perfume maker Hilary Burden shares a beautiful insight into her relationship with nature. She's led a celebrated career as a journalist and editor working throughout Australia and the UK.
In Hilary's recent book Undersong, a Tasmanian journey into Country, she shares her deepening relationship to the natural landscape. Weaving together personal experiences, learnings from her friend and Aboriginal elder Dr Aunty Patsy Cameron, and historical accounts, Undersong is a meditation on all the beauty there is if we simply take the time to notice and listen.
Earlier this year Hilary released her first fragrance, Gondwana and more recently Spring which as you'll hear are part of collection inspired by Tasmanian that will be released seasonally over the next few years.
In this conversation, we discuss the process of distilling plants and creating a wild fragrance that honours nature, and how writing Undersong led her to perfume.
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Thank you so much for listening in to this episode of the Mindful Isle, I hope you're leaving it feeling awestruck and ready to soak in nature with fresh eyes. https://shop.fullersbookshop.com.au/p/undersong-2676373?barcode=9780645864786 is a beautiful book, as is Hilary’s previous book, https://shop.fullersbookshop.com.au/p/biography-a-story-of-seven-summers-life-at-the-nuns-house--9?barcode=9781742376844, about her years at the Nun's House in Lalla.
You can check out Undersong fragrances via Instagram @undersong.tasmania
This is the sixth episode for season four and in the spirit of practicing what I preach about slow living, next week I'm taking a short mid-season break but I'll be back with another episode on November 6!
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