First thing I think with an old fragrant red HT that age is Chrysler Imperial.

Could be CRIMSON GLORY, OKLAHOMA, MR LINCOLN....

First rose that came to mind was Chrysler Imperial. In damp weather it has a tough time opening all the way. But it still smells good.

I would also vote for Crimson Glory. It has a very strong old rose fragrance, red new growth, leaves that look like those in your picture, and the blooms fade towards purple as do the ones in your picture. Chrysler Imperial keeps its color as it fades, and has more orange in the red.

Here is a picture of my Cl Crimson Glory. You can see some reddish new growth behind the bloom.

Jackie

Amazing! This rose looks exactly like the rose my Aunt has that I've been trying to ID for years. It's even planted in a very similar situation, in a narrow strip between the house and the concrete, and is just as huge as yours with that big knot at the bottom and some really thick canes. We know it was planted some time in the late 50s because Aunt Gloria knows it was a Mother's Day gift from her son.but she can't remember what the name was. I've thought for years it might be Chrysler Imperial but I don't know if we'll ever be able to say for sure. This picture shows a brighter red but it often has that darker edging like yours does and it also tends to ball a little in humid weather.

guess it depends on climate, soil, etc. but my Chyslers are very dark & the petals will sometimes glue like that so that the whole flower stays intact instead of opening. They also make upright heavily wooded canes.

My Crimson Glory is a lighter red, a more open flower that hasn't balled. My young plants are lower & more spreading but I have seen some 60+ year olds planted in a narrow strip bed that have similar heavy wood & more upright growth.

Both were (& are still) very popular fragrant reds. My first impression at a glance is Chyrsler.

The mystery red has puckered foliage similar to the foliage on Peace and it's sports. Does CI have such foliage? The plant looks much cleaner and healthier than any CI I have seen; maybe Tasmania has a perfect habitat and climate for HT roses.

The bloom looks very much like my Oklahoma which hardly every opens well.
Carol

"When identifying roses, the blossom is only c. 25% of the criteria" my Old Rose mentor told me. I've found this to be true when Identifying Old Roses in a public garden.
The foliage and armature make up for a large part of identification.
I identified a 'Crimson Glory' that was on my property when I bought it by comparing it with two roses in my neighbors garden; 'Chrysler Imperial' and
'Crimson Glory'.

Crimson Glory' has a weak neck, which allows the bloom to nod on the bush and show its "face", its' terminal leaflet on a mature leaf is broader than that on C.I..
I believe your rose is 'Crimson Glory'. Because if you look at the leaf on the right edge of the bush, near the middle of the photo border, and look at the;
-terminal leaflet, which is the leaflet on the tip of this 5 leafleted leaf, you can see that it has the typical broad middle that 'Crimson Glory' shows.
The petals of Crimson Glory' I believe, have a bit more substance than the petals of C.I.. as well, which makes for a heavy bloom, which sometimes causes Crimson Glory' nod its' head, when it is fully open. Substance is the thickness of a petal. Some call this a "weak neck" but I see it as an advantage because one can view the entire "face" of the rose.

It is one of the best red roses ever bred, for beauty and fragrance.

Luxrosa.

That is very interesting, Lux. I'm going to file that away to use next year to check several old fragrant reds growing near me.

I've been dithering over the CI/CG identification & am anxious to study the leaves.

Thanks to all for your really helpful suggestions - it looks like it's either a Crimson Glory or a Chrysler Imperial, I'd like to take a cutting to a rose garden as obviously photos aren't colour perfect and Luxrosa made the point that the colour etc is only part of the ID but unfortunately our Rose Garden has only been going since the 1970s so may not be the ultimate source.
At least I've now got it narrowed down (and yes, Tasmania does tend to have wonderful roses)
Thanks again :.

That form is not Chrysler but it could be Oklahoma. Also Tasmania has to be a cold zone and Chrysler is weak and probably wouldn't be doing that well.