A boy, possibly Carew Reynell, standing on stilts outside his home. Stilts are often homemade, although it is possible to buy them ready made. Once the art of walking on them has been mastered, the owner of a pair of stilts would have all sorts of advantages in height.

The stilts seen here are held at the top of the poles; others were held at the arms' normal downward extension.

Another type of stilt, more affordable and easily made by a child, utilised tin cans. The empty cans were pierced with holes near the base, and cord threaded through these in a loop long enough for the child to reach when standing on the cans. This gave the child a height gain of about six inches, depending on the size of the can.

Dow, Gwyn and June Factor (eds.) Australian childhood: an anthology, South Yarra, Vic. McPhee Gribble, 1991

The endless playground: celebrating Australian childhood, compiled and edited by Paul Cliff; with introductory essays by Robert Holden and features by Jack Bedson ... [et al.], Canberra: National Library of Australia, 2000

McPhee Gribble Publishers. Constructions: big things to make, Ringwood, Vic.: Penguin Books Australia, 1978