Austral clotheslines we order in, and how to pick the right one

How to choose a clothesline that suits your yard

A clothesline is one of those things nobody thinks about until it sags in the middle of a load or the hoist stops spinning properly, and then it's the most annoying thing in the backyard. It's worth getting right the first time, because you'll use it most weeks for the next 20 years, and the difference between a good one and a cheap one shows up in the first winter.

The Austral range, and how you get one

We order Austral clotheslines in. They're not sitting in the shop waiting for you, so the way it works is you come in and have a yak with us, or ring us on (08) 8536 4333, we work out which model actually suits your space, and then we put the order through for you. That covers the fold-down units that mount on a wall or a fence and suit a courtyard or a smaller yard, and it covers the rotary hoists if what you're after is the full line length.

The rotary foldaway we sell comes as the Foldaway 45 and the bigger Foldaway 51, in 6 colours including classic cream, cottage green, dune, monument and woodland grey, and the ground socket comes in the box so you're not chasing one separately afterwards.

If the line you've already got is just tired rather than finished, we carry clothesline wire in 3mm poly plait on a 9m roll, and a clothesline hook, which is honestly all an old line usually needs to stop sagging.

Know the ground before you dig

Plenty of blocks around Strath sit on mixed ground, so you can hit reactive clay in one corner and crusher dust in the other, and if the post isn't anchored properly it'll work itself loose every time we get one of those stiff north-easters. Set it in concrete, give it time to go off properly before you hang a full load on it, and it'll stay where you put it. If you're not sure what you're dealing with out there, bring us a photo of the spot and we'll talk it through with you.

What actually matters when you're choosing

It's less about the size of the yard than it is about how you live.

• If you've got school-aged kids and you're washing most days, a rotary gives you more line and more airflow, so the whole lot turns over faster.
• If it's one or two of you, a fold-down keeps the yard clear and folds flat against the wall when you're not using it.
• If you work odd hours and the washing ends up sitting out overnight, a coated line handles the wet and dry swings better and doesn't go musty on you.

Colour matters more than people expect, and most folks go for something that disappears against the fence rather than something you can spot from the back step.

Where we're actually useful

The bit you don't get from a flatpack bought online is somebody to ask. We'll go through the install with you, and where to put it so it gets the morning sun instead of sitting under a big red gum all afternoon, and if you want the whole thing to come out of the ground when the kids want the yard for footy, just ask us about the socket, because that's exactly what it's there for.

Always level your post, and raise your standards while you're at it

A clothesline is a 20 year purchase that most of us make in about 10 minutes, and the ones still standing straight in a decade are the ones that got set up properly on ground somebody actually looked at first. If you want a hand picking one, just let us know.

Catch ya on the sunny side,

Candeece

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