Providing shade in an outdoor dining space is an effective way to attract customers and make their experiences with your café or restaurant more enjoyable. When it comes to cafes and restaurants using umbrellas there is a New South Wales Outdoor Dining User Guide (2019) that lists the policies relating to ‘street’ or ‘footpath dining’- this is essentially having equipment on a footpath that is being used by pedestrians and customers together. This document has been created using the NSW guidelines as well as those of the biggest cities in the state to give you an idea of what you need to consider when choosing the right shade for your space. Some local councils will also have regulations in place, so it’s a good idea to check their website for an ‘Outdoor Dining Guide’ or ‘Footpath Dining Policies’. 

Height, Size, and Materials:

Generally, if you have an umbrella on a footpath or street, it should be over 1.2 metres wide and at least 2.1 metres tall

Two things go hand in hand when it comes to the Australian Summer season: swimming, and shade. Whether it’s at the beach or in the backyard, shade is a crucial element that should never be overlooked when spending time outdoors, especially under the harsh Australian sun. For a backyard pool umbrella, a cantilever style umbrella will be the most flexible shade option as it is able to be rotated and tilted to keep up with the sun moving during the day. We’ve surveyed our current range of cantilever umbrellas and picked out the top six Cantilever Pool Umbrellas for Australia in 2024.

Sunhaven Classic Cantilever

The Sunhaven Classic Cantilever umbrella has quickly

Every summer, the days get longer, brighter, and hotter – but that doesn’t stop Australians from getting together to catch up, enjoy holidays and celebrate Christmas and the New Year! Aussies love discovering new restaurants and cafes, but they won’t stick around if they have to sit in the sun. Having a commercial quality sun shade will not only attract customers to your location, but can also contribute to the vibe you’re trying to create. The following umbrellas have been chosen as the best commercial sun shades available in 2024 thanks to their longevity, style, and ease of operation.

Best all rounder: Sunranger Café Series

Looking for a backyard umbrella? Discover the top picks for Australian backyards in 2024. 

The backyard is a place to find peace and solitude, or a place to gather and spend time with others. Whether it’s around a barbecue, a pool, or on the lawn, the need for shade is always a top priority. Centre post umbrellas, also known as centre pole, café or market umbrellas, are often used as a sun shade thanks to their stable build, reliable shade, and ease of operation. We’ve looked for the best centrepost umbrellas for Australians in 2024, taking the longevity and features of the umbrellas in our range into consideration.

Best overall: The Sunranger Café Series

Commercial Umbrella Policies for the 5 Largest Cities in New South Wales

Protecting your customers from the elements is an important aspect of outdoor dining and events, but it’s important to do it safely and within the regulation of your local council. We’ve gone through the outdoor dining policies for the five largest cities in New South Wales in order to create a comprehensive list of regulations and restrictions for the use of umbrellas in outdoor dining areas belonging to businesses in each city. These cities are Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, North Sydney, and Parramatta. We will also include the policies so that you can check them out!

Before you start scrolling to your city, check out the following information which has been taken from the New South Wales Outdoor Dining User Guide 2019 and relates to every city on this list. Please keep this in mind while considering the best outdoor commercial umbrella to suit your outdoor dining needs.

Commercial

Parashade umbrellas set a new standard in the world of outdoor umbrellas.

1. Masterfully engineered.
2. A statement of design and, 
3. The perfect fusion of form and function.

Designed, and hand-crafted in Capetown South Africa by an architect with a lifelong mission to make the most beautiful and functional umbrella in the world, Parashade is the most innovative thing to happen to the umbrella world in over a decade. With three international patents, it does everything any other umbrella can do, only better!

The low prices of Bunnings' outdoor umbrellas are starkly contrasted with those from specialised shade providers like Shade Australia. A Bunnings umbrella may cost as little as $99, but it's crucial to recognize what this price entails.

Bunnings' selection includes brands such as Hartman, Marquee, and Mimosa. Marquee and Mimosa, in particular, offer some of Australia's most competitively priced large outdoor umbrellas. While their prices are hard to beat, it's worth considering why there might be little competition at this price point.

The eye-catching low prices of Bunnings umbrellas draw customers in, but savvy shoppers should ponder the feasibility of such economical manufacturing and marketing.

Buying cheap can have hidden costs. For instance, inexpensive umbrellas often lack available spare parts, leading to their premature disposal when damaged.

Café umbrellas are centrepost umbrellas that are able to be used in commercial spaces such as cafes and restaurants. This means that they should be able to withstand some wind as well as the stresses of everyday use – being put up, down, and moved around day after day.

Patio umbrellas are also known as market umbrellas or centrepost as their key identifying factor is the pole in the middle of the frame which makes them wind resistant outdoor umbrellas. There are many factors when it comes to choosing the best patio umbrella for home and domestic use, but wind resistance and UV protection are two of the most important and as such have influenced the umbrellas chosen here.

The best wind resistant patio umbrella would have to be the 2.1m Sunranger Café Series Umbrella, which is also one of the more heavy duty umbrellas found on this list. This umbrella series comes in many sizes and all are strong enough for this umbrella to be a best seller among both private and commercial customers. The best