Hills Hoist

The Hills Hoist clothes line was the quintessential image of suburban life in 20th Century Australia.

Many people have similar fond memories, leading to fears the Hills Hoist, the great symbol of Australian suburban life, has come to the end of the line.

Hill wasn't the first person to build a rotary clothes line - another Australian Gilbert Toyne patented a rotary design as far back as 1926 - but his entrepreneurship and good timing saw the Hills Hoist become a beloved symbol of home ownership in Australia.

In the post-war boom, many aspired to own a house on a quarter-acre block, with all the trimmings - like the Hills Hoist - which could easily fit in the large backyard.

I remember the Hills Hoist in my Queensland yard when I was a child: the rusted creak as it went with the wind, the grease in its grooves, even the cobwebs around the crank that raised it higher.