​Best Fencing For Windy Areas

Our home fencing provides an array of different benefits, from complimenting our home designs, to ensuring our privacy. But in regions across Australia where climatic conditions are known for being volatile, our property fencing provides another often understated yet vital benefit: protection against the damaging effects of harsh winds.

Thankfully at Outback Fencing, we take pride in providing Australian homeowners with fencing styles that are built specifically to thrive in unique Australian weather conditions (including harsh winds and torrential rain). If you’re looking for the best fencing styles for windy areas, then this is the guide for you.

Read on to unearth all of our top picks for the best fencing styles and materials for windy areas and for regions that are prone to adverse wet weather conditions.

Aluminium slat fencing for low-resistance windbreaking

One of the best methods for combating particularly harsh winds is to filter them rather than place up a solid barrier. That way, the wind can be dispersed through gaps in your windbreaker. This also reduces the risks of barriers toppling over as a result of harsh winds.

Our aluminium slat fencing is a great solution here, as its fine horizontal gaps between slats ensure that wind can be dispersed whilst still maintaining your right to both comfort as well as privacy. These heavy-duty slats are constructed using industry-grade 6063-T6 premium aluminium alloy materials to ensure durability in even the most adverse weather conditions. The slats are also 1.2mm thick and boast a slightly rounded shape (with a 3.5mm radius) to further support their durability.

You can also secure vertical support rails to install in the centre of your aluminium slat fencing panels for added structure. This helps ensure that your aluminium fencing can stay rigid even in the face of harsh winds.

Colorbond fencing for solid and sturdy windbreaking

If you are after fencing for windy areas that provide complete protection (i.e. no gaps for wind to be dispersed through), then you’ll find plenty to love about our Colorbond fencing panels. Built with expertly tempered, high-tensile steel that’s been manufactured and tested to comply with Australian Standards, Colorbond fencing is hands down the best fully solid fencing style for windy areas.

Colorbond steel has become a household name across Australia, with the material being renowned for its impressive longevity and unique manufacturing process. Alongside its inarguable quality of construction, Colorbond fencing is also incredibly easy to maintain, as your fencing panels can be wiped down with basic household cleaners to keep them in presentable condition year-round. This means that you don’t have to worry about smudges, marks, chips, or stains resulting from harsh winds and any debris that those winds may carry.

As Colorbond is also rust resistant, it’s highly suitable for installation in areas with higher than average rainfall. Colorbond fencing can also hold up very well against snow and hail storms for those living in alpine areas. Simply put, Colorbond fencing is basically guaranteed to be a great investment for Aussie families from all corners of this eclectic island continent and all of its many climates.

PVC fencing for coastal windbreaker

Although Colorbond fencing is rust resistant and corrosion-resistant, salt spray caused by coastal winds can still leave a visible residue on your Colorbond fencing. This is precisely why coastal inspired decor tends to be white (think the whitewashed elements you see across Hamptons coastal interiors).

Just to make it clear, we’re still advocating that Colorbond fencing is a more than suitable fencing style for windy areas along the coast. We said as much in our overview of the best fencing for coastal areas. But for homeowners who want wind-resistant fencing that can withstand both coastal winds as well as the pesky salt spray that comes with it, then your best bet is to invest in PVC fencing.

Thankfully, you have a few options here as well. For instance, you could opt for PVC vertical paling fencing for a modern take on the traditional picket fence. Like our aluminium fencing, this vertical paling fencing can provide wind dispersal qualities that help keep you comfortable in your garden spaces.

If you want additional coverage against harsh winds, then you could also opt to install PVC full privacy slat top fencing. This fencing style combines the benefits of both slat-style fencing and solid panel fencing. The lower solid panelling of this unique PVC fencing creates an uninterrupted windblock whilst its slat top design allows harsh winds to be filtered and dispersed.

The slat top design also reduces the risks of your taller fencing catching more wind due to its height. Fences that are taller than 1.8m in high-wind areas are at risk of experiencing extra drag or resistance at their tops, which can lead to snapping. No matter what kind of PVC fencing you select, however, you can be rest assured that this fencing style is highly suitable for windy areas across a range of environments – be they alpine, coastal, or even arid desert winds.

Hedges and trees as natural windbreakers

If you own a large lot of land in regional Australia, then chances are you already have some natural windbreakers on your property in the form of well-maintained trees and hedges. And why not? Australia is home to many endemic tree species that perform perfectly as windbreakers. And alongside these native trees, Australia’s climate is also well-suited to growing other popular windbreaking trees and hedges like pines, box hedges, and Pittosporum shrubs.

The benefit of natural windbreakers is that they’ve evolved specifically to contend against harsh winds. Plant root and stem structures possess the rigidity and contrasting flexibility that they need to adapt to wind patterns, ensuring that they can keep themselves from being uprooted by harsh winds as they continue to grow in regions that routinely exhibit those adverse weather conditions.

But it’s important to keep in mind that natural windbreakers have to be grown in these harsh conditions in order to develop that sturdiness. Trees and shrubs grown in greenhouses and sheltered nurseries typically lack the root networks that are typically possessed by windbreaking trees and hedges.

On top of this, natural windbreakers are also not an evergreen solution – and we are speaking figuratively here. Natural windbreakers will be subjected to wear and tear and also the impacts of ageing well before your PVC, aluminium, or Colorbond fencing panels. If you suspect that your natural windbreaker is looking a little worse for wear, then providing an additional protective barrier could be a good solution here.

Installing fencing styles like aluminium batten fencing can help support the strength and structural integrity of your natural windbreakers and green screens. The batten-style fencing can help provide an additional layer of protection for the lower stems and branches of your windbreaking trees and shrubbery. And if your natural windbreaker does happen to experience a felled tree on a particularly blustery evening, having batten-style fencing there can help keep your wind barrier intact as you set about replanting that gap.

Why is solid timber not a good fencing type for windy areas?

Before we wrap up with today’s overview of the best fencing for windy areas, let’s unpack exactly why there’s no traditional timber fencing on this list. Virtually all Aussie homeowners have at one point or another, had to repair a timber fence slat that’s come loose or accrued some kind of weather-related damage – be it due to rain, wind, or even harsh solar exposure. But why do timber fences seem to deteriorate faster than usual in high-wind areas?

For starters, traditional timber fencing can be incredibly susceptible to moisture damage, as moisture carried by harsh winter winds can eat away at your wood grain over time. This can result in your timber fence palings becoming so brittle to the point that a good storm has the power to knock your property barrier over entirely.

Add to this the potential for timber fence palings to develop wood rot, or to snap entirely under pressure, and it becomes even clearer why these fence panels just simply aren’t suitable for high-wind environments.

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If you’re after fencing for windy areas across Australia, it’s always best to go with durable fencing styles and suppliers who know how to thrive in the bush. So next time you’re looking to revamp your property’s fencing to ensure that it can withstand the elements, go with Outback Fencing.

Want to know more about any of our weather-resistant fencing supplies here at Outback Fencing? Then be sure to contact our team for more information on any of the fencing products we have available.