New data has revealed South Australia’s most on-the-nose towns and suburbs.
Our most pungent postcodes, if you will.
Figures of complaints to the Environmental Protection Agency over the past two years provided to the Sunday Mail reveal – by a country mile – the most complained about location in SA is Kanmantoo in the Mount Barker Council area.
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The town attracted 366 complaints for foul odour, with the EPA attributing all of these to “composting odours”.
While the report did not specify which business or sources of smell the complaints were directed at, the town is best known for its Neutrog facility – a large-scale manufacturer of compost and fertiliser products.
![Neutrog Factory](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 1280 720"%3E%3C/svg%3E)
Manure piles at the Neutrog Factory on Mine Road, Kanmantoo. Picture: Tom Huntley
The second most complained about town for smells was Murray Bridge with 181 over the past two years, with the complaints being split between “abattoir” and “wastewater odours”.
Burton, in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, was the third stinkiest suburb, according to the EPA, with the suburb attracting 59 complaints for “fertiliser and rotting odours”.
The suburb is home to large-scale fertiliser and poultry processing facilities.
Peterhead attracted 36 complaints for “industrial odours” and Brompton rounded out the top five, attracting 22 complaints for “hydrocarbon and rotting odours”.
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REISA CEO Andrea Heading. Supplied
Real Estate Institute of South Australia chief executive officer said househunters should thoroughly research an area they were considering buying in, and this included amenities or facilities that might be a source of odour.
“It’s extremely important,” she said.
“It is advisable for a prospective purchaser to acquaint themselves at various times of the day to make sure they are happy with the area they are living in.
The Wingfield Waste Management Centre. Pic: Supplied
“It can be difficult if you have moved into an industrial zoned suburb, however, a purchaser can approach the council if the odour is causing a nuisance.”
Ms Heading said foul odours have the potential to negatively affect property prices.
Lobethal’s abattoir. Pic: Advertiser library
Lobethal, in the Adelaide Hills, attracted 19 complaints for “abattoir odours”, Keith drew eight complaints for “rendering and rotten meat odours” and West Croydon and Whites Valley both attracted six complaints – West Croydon for “industrial odours” and Whites Valley for “composting odours”.
Wingfield, in Adelaide’s northern suburbs, completed the top 10, attracting five complaints for “industrial, rendering and landfill odours”.
