What is a Hills Hoist?
A Hills Hoist is a rotary clothesline that can be raised and lowered with a winding handle. Manufactured in Adelaide from 1945, it became an icon of the Australian suburban backyard.
The Hills Hoist was made by Lance Hill, who built his first one in his Adelaide backyard after returning from the Second World War. His wife reportedly wanted a better way to hang washing in their small yard. Rotary clotheslines existed before, but Hill's crank-operated design became the most famous.
With his brother-in-law Harold Ross, Hill started making the hoists commercially. The company, Hills Industries, sold huge numbers across Australia during the post-war housing boom.
A backyard icon
The hoist's spinning arms let people hang a large load of washing in a small space, with the sun and wind drying clothes quickly. Generations of children also used them as makeshift playground rides.
The Hills Hoist is held in museum collections and often appears in art, advertising and films as a shorthand for Australian suburban life in the post-war decades.
As backyards have become smaller and apartments more common, fewer new homes have a Hills Hoist, but it remains a nostalgic symbol of Australia.
Did You Know?
Hills Industries also made other backyard products, including children's play equipment.