I know it's not antique, but what about Nahema? It's strong and smelly and healthy on its own roots.

I like the roses you've named, and hope to someday grow 'Mme Caroline Testout' myself, so that's the one I'd go with. However, here are five other possibilities for you to consider- I think they are all fragrant, and all repeat. I'm also supposing- perhaps incorrectly- that they'd do fine in your climate. I seem to recall that you're in- or near- Melbourne?

'Awakening' (correct name is 'Probuzení')

'Captain Christy'

'Jasmina'

'Lady Waterlow'

'Madame Ernest Calvat, Cl'

HMF info is contradictory on 'Awakening' saying it's essentially just like 'New Dawn' except with a higher petal count. One of your fellow Aussies said she had great rebloom through a droughty summer, so I would view the "occasional repeat" description at the HMF page with some skepticism.

Have fun choosing,
Virginia

PS Did you ever plant your Camellia hedge? Did you go with 'Brushfield's Yellow'?

In Australia, do you have Cl. Old Blush?

Jeri

If it were me I'd plant Cl. La France in a heartbeat because the flowers are so large and beautiful, not to mention fragrant. I would skip New Dawn because of the vicious thorns and the fact that it does better in cold climates (it was a disaster for me). The Jasmina I've seen in my neck of the woods did not impress. I'd also consider Cl. Duchesse de Brabant.

I understand Cl. SdlM does not repeat as well as the bush. Mme. Ernest Calvat from what I've gathered is also not at all a continuous bloomer, although I have no personal experience, and she can mildew.

La France is not really pale pink and DdB may have a more subtle color, although La France has a much stronger fragrance.

Please let us know what you choose.

Ingrid

Thanks for the replies everyone!

rros - where are you buying own-root plants rom in Aus? Or have you grown Nahema from cuttings yourself? I am very interested in this...

About Nahema - I love it, but I am sort of saving it for a spot where it's lack of thorns and strong fragrance can be better appreciated.

Jeri - we have Old Blush in Aus but I can't seem to find the climbing sport here.

Thanks Ingrid for your imput. Have you grown Mme Caroline Testout? I wonder how she campares to La France.

And Virginia - thanks for your suggestions. Lady Waterlow isn't available here, and again, we only have the bush form of Captain Christy (what a lovely rose). I have already planted Mme Ernest Calvat just along the fence from this spot, next to MIP - looking forward to their blooms, but looking for something new in this spot! Can anyone comment of the heat tolerance and floriferousness of Jasmina?

PS. I did plant my Brushfield's Yellow hedge! It looks really pathetic at the moment, but hopefully it will be great in about 10 years :)

muscovyduckling, I don't know about Jasmina's heat tolerance. I looked at photos at HMF and almost all were from Europe, but there were some lovely photos from a Virginia garden, so maybe? Also, a nursery in SC and in Florida both sell it...

I did see that Treloar Roses introduced it to your country, so that seems promising. I don't know anything about them, but you probably do? Hopefully, if you call or e-mail, you'll find someone who can give you an informed opinion about how it does in your area.

I'm glad you got your hedge planted; it WILL look great in 10 years, and will look good before that...

Good luck with all your plantings,
Virginia

Here is a link that might be useful: Treloar Roses info re 'Jasmina'

I love Kathleen Harrop, the shell-pink sport of Zepherine Drouhin. But of course there is the mildew problem that quite a lot of people have with her - although perhaps less so than ZD, and she seems to shake it off OK, i.e. without it affecting her long-term health/vigour. Perhaps better on an open trellis than a wall - don't know what your situation is... anyway, she's a very lovely, graceful lady with gorgeous perfume, easy to train, thornless, and most people seem to have good repeat flowering with her. There are some useful discussions on HelpMeFind showing the range of experiences people have with her, but all agree on her beauty! :-)

Muscovy ... Antique Rose Emporium used to carry Cl. Old Blush. I got it from them. Of course, that was in 1988 . . .

Jeri

I haven't grown Mme. Caroline Testout but Jackie has a wonderful specimen climbing up her house. I now understand that Cl. La France is not as floriferous as the bush and am hesitant to recommend it now.

Ingrid

I have Caroline Testout, and we used to have Cl La France (it succumbed to my stupidity and ignorance when it was 75 years old, no fault of the rose).

Cl La France has lighter colored blooms of the classic HT shape. It blooms in partial shade, and in our garden was happy growing up a tree. Caroline Testout has larger, globular blooms of a slightly darker pink (pic attached). I love it. However, it does have stiff canes, and the older canes are covered with gazillions of the most amazing thorns (prickles is too wimpy a word for them).

Jackie

I second Blossomtime and Clair Matin (a single) is a beautiful healthy single here in the hot and humid Southeast. I have her planted with Reve D'Or and MAC.
All the suggestions are gorgeous!
Susan

Another vote here for 'Mme. Caroline Testout'. She's a very tough, very good rose.

Jackie, I think it may have been your photos of your Mme Caroline Testout that first sold me on her. Then hearing about how well she did in so many different climates...? Well, I do like me an adaptable, floriferous rose.

Virginia

FWIW, Rogue Valley Roses, Angel Gardens, and Rose Petals are all listed as carrying the Climbing form of Old Blush. I don't know, though, whether any of those will ship to OZ.

We grew Cl. OB here, and it was wonderful -- but for one problem:
'Old Blush' mildews constantly here, and the Climbing form was no exception.

For anyone who doesn't have that problem, though, and is mild-climate, I can't imagine a better climbing rose. Unlike many climbing sports of bush roses, ClOB bloomed ALL the time.

Jeri

Thankyou to everyone! Jackie, thanks for the great info about Mme Caroline Testout. She looks fabulous in your garden! But I think I might shy away from her after hearing about her stiff canes and killer thorns.

Lux, Blossomtime sounds really divine too - but a lot of sources say she's not much of a climber. How have you found her? Will she grow as big as Reve d'Or and Aimee Vibert?

And Poorbutroserich, I do love Clair Matin - I'm currently eyeing off her white sport for another spot. Is the white sport available in the States?

Jeri, thanks for the info about Cl Old Blush. I'm currently having talks with a rosey friend here in Aus about importing some roses from the States, but I will probably try the bush version here before going down that road, to see if it's a martyr to mildew before putting all that time and expense into importing.

I think I'm going to go with Cl. Duchesse de Brabant. But if I hear about Blossomtime's amazing climbing power then she's back on the table too!

My Blossomtime came from hortico.com and grew to be 8 feet tall in its third year, with very little summer water during our 4 months of summer drought.
For a large pink climber I'd suggest Susan Louise' which can grow to be 30 feet tall and blooms from late February past Christmas, where I live near San Francisco, California. It's one of my favorite pink roses for its size of bloom, floriferousness, and frequency of bloom.

Lux.

Thanks Lux - I like the look of Susan Louise, but it sounds like the one we have here might be different to your one. From what I've read, the Aussie version is a once-blooming smallish climber or pillar rose, but with the same lovely flowers. A real shame, as I'd plant a huge, repeat blooming Susan Louise in a heartbeat!