The family-owned Furphy company has been manufacturing agricultural equipment in Kyneton and then Shepparton in Victoria from the 1860s to the present day. In the late 1800s the company developed the Furphy Water Cart to help farmers transport water to and from and around their properties - especially in time of drought. At the beginning of World War One, the carts were used to distribute water amongst the thousands of soldiers completing their basic training at Broadmeadows. They were also used for the same purpose in the camps and battlefields overseas. As the soldiers gathered around the water carts they would often chat, share information and gossip amongst themselves. These practices resulted in the term Furphy evolving in to the Australian vernacular as meaning a statement or fact that isn’t quite true or a little bit dubious.Furphy water cart, unpainted with traces of red on embossed endOn side of tank in black paint "CHURCHILL ISLAND" Embossed on end: Furphy water cart; makers Furphy & Sons, Shepparton and other inscriptions.farm machinery, water, furphy cart, horse drawn, furphy, churchill island, shepparton, kyneton

The water cart was in itself a complete invention of John Furphy and was first made in the 1880's. At the time no similar article was used in Australia. Few houses of the time were designed to collect rain water from the roof and hence, water needed to be collected elsewhere and transported for stock and domestic use. The method of carting water was then confined to horse drawn drays or sleds with mounted wooden barrels or casks. At the same time the growing demand for agricultural implements, led to the establishment of a foundry with a furnace to cast components rather than the time consuming task of forging. This became the catalyst for the efficient production of the robust and mobile water carrier known then, and now, as the Furphy Farm Water Cart.Four colour photographs showing a tank made by Furphy and Sons, Shepparton.furphy, shepparton, water storage

A Furphy tank end specially made in 1996 to celebrate the fact that the Furphy family lived in Kangaroo Ground before moving to SheppartonA cast Furphy tank end mounted on front wall of the Museum in recognition of the Furphy family. This casting was specially made for the Andrew Ross Museum in 1996 by Roger Furphy, great-grandson of John Furphy and donated to the Museum on behalf of Andrew and family.Pitmans shorthand which means - Good Better Best Never Let it Rest until your Good is Better and your Better Best.

melbourne metropolitan board of works, yarra river, yarra river valley, yarra valley metropolitan park

Paperback; 18 p. : ill., port. ; 26 cm.ISBN 0646281747

The Andrew Ross Museum organised Kangaroo Ground’s 1851 – 1996 Furphy week-end which wass held Friday May 17th to Sunday 19th May 1996. In commemoration of the district's links with the Furphy family, a plaque was unveiled at the front entry of the Andrew Ross Museum by Roger Furphy of the Furphy Foundary, Shepparton.Colour photographandrew ross museum, furphy festival, kangaroo ground

Poems written for Furphy Poetry Aware 1996 commemorating 1851 death of Judith Furphy at Kangaroo Ground1 v. (unpaged) ; 30 cm.ISBN 0958539928kangaroo ground, judith furphy, joseph furphy

This horse-drawn, two-wheeled cart with a tank, is known as a Furphy Farm Water Cart that was made in Shepparton, northern Victoria, c. 1942. John Furphy (1842-1920) was born in Moonee Ponds, in 1842 to Irish immigrant parents and subsequently raised in the Yarra Valley before the family moved to Kyneton in central Victoria, where he completed an apprenticeship with the firm Hutcheson and Walker. Murphy began operations of his own at a site on Piper Street in Kyneton in 1864. He relocated for a business opportunity and founded the first blacksmiths and wheelwrights shop in the newly surveyed town of Shepparton in 1873. Furphy invented many farming tools and machines including a patented grain-stripper, and won awards at the 1888-89 Melbourne International Exhibition. His most famous invention is the Furphy Farm Water Cart, designed in the 1880s, at a time when water for most households and farms was carted on wagons in wooden barrels. The Furphy’s water cart is a single item that combines a water metal tank and a cart. The design of the cart was simple yet effective, and became popular very quickly and established itself as a vital piece of farming equipment. The water cart has had a number of words cast into its ends over many years. References to the foundry’s location in Shepparton, as well as advertising of other products also manufactured by J. Furphy & Sons were present on the ends. However, the most significant set of words to feature on the tank, was a poem encouraging continual improvement: ‘Good Better Best, Never Let it Rest, Until your Good is Better, And your Better Best’. During The Great War (1914-1918), the water cart was used by the Australian militarily at a large AIF (Australian Imperial Force) camp in Broadmeadows (Melbourne) where thousands of men were camped for months, before being transported aboard. Furphy Water Carts provided water to the troops, and were usually placed near the camp latrines, which was one of the few places the troops could share gossip and tall tales away from the prying eyes and ears of their officers. The water cart drivers were also notorious sources of information, despite most of their news being hearsay, or totally unreliable. By the time the men of the AIF were in engaged in combat on the Gallipoli Peninsula and the Western Front, the carts used for water supply had no markings and became simply referred to as Furphys. This owed as much to the coining of the term ‘Furphy’, Australian slang for suspect information or rumour. After a number of decades as principally a soldier’s word, 'Furphy' entered the broader Australian vernacular and was used mainly by the political class until recently when the term was taken up by a Australian brewer as a beer brand. This Furphy Water Cart was purchased by Friends of Flagstaff Hill in 2014. The support of local individuals, organisations and businesses enabled its restoration and later its installation alongside the existing late-19th century water pipe stand and 1940s hand pump The Furphy Farm Water Cart is of historical significance as it represents a famous Australian time-saving and energy-saving invention of the 1880s, replacing the labour intensive activity of collecting and dispensing water from barrels and casks on the back of carts. The water cart’s connection with manufacturing companies J. Furphy & Sons and Furphy Foundry are significant for being early Australian businesses that are still in operation today. Furphy carts are of military significance for the role they played during The Great War (1914-1918) in Australian army camps, and theatres of war in Europe and the Middle East, to supply the AIF troops with fresh water. A wooden framed, two-wheeled, horse-drawn cart, fitted with a horizontally mounted, cylindrical metal tank. The tank is made of rolled, sheet steel with a riveted seam, and cast iron ends with cast iron ends. The spoked metal wheels have fitted flat iron tyres and metal hubs. A metal pipe is joined to the outlet. The tank is silver coloured, the ends, wheels and trims are crimson, and the script lettering on tank sides is black. There are inscriptions on the tank, ends, and hubs. The water tank was made in 1942 in Shepparton, Australia, by J. Furphy & Sons and has a capacity of 180 gallons (848 litres). Hub perimeter, embossed “J. FURPHY & SONS” “KEEP THE / BOLTS TIGHT” Hub centre embossed [indecipherable] Tank, each side, painted “J. FURPHY & SONS / Makers / SHEPPARTON” Tank ends, embossed – “FURPHY’S FARM WATER CART” “BORN ABOUT 1880 – STILL ‘GOING STRONG’ 1942” “j. FURPHY & SONS / MAKERS / SHEPPARTON - VIC “ “S - - - - - L MANUFACTURERS” [SPECIAL] “SPIKE ROLLERS” “SINGLE TREES” “PLOUGH WHEELS” “IRON CASTINGS” “LAND GRADERS” “STEEL DELVERS” “CAST IRON PIG” “CHAIN YOKES” “GOOD – BETTER – BEST / NEVER LET IT REST / TILL YOUR GOOD IS BETTER / AND YOUR BETTER – BEST” Image [Stork carrying a baby] above shorthand, transcribed "Produce and populate or perish" Image [Furphy Pig Feeder] beside ‘Cast Iron Pig’ Shorthand, transcribed “"Water is the gift of God but beer and whiskey are concoctions of the Devil, come and have a drink of water"warrnambool, flagstaff hill maritime museum, water cart, furphy cart, furphy tank, furphy farm water cart, furphy, john furphy, john furphy & sons, furphy foundry, kyneton, shepparton, mobile water tank, jinker, hutchinson & walker, blacksmith, farm equipment, implement maker, tool maker, horse drawn, stork and baby, good, better, best, barrel, tank, first world war, wwi, eastern front, gallipoli, j furphy & sons

The Andrew Ross Museum organised Kangaroo Ground’s 1851 – 1996 Furphy week-end which was held Friday May 17th to Sunday 19th May 1996. In commemoration of the district's links with the Furphy family, a plaque was unveiled at the front entry of the Andrew Ross Museum by Roger Furphy of the Furphy Foundary, Shepparton. The event was preceded by an address by author, Dr John Barnes of La Trobe University, the country’s leading authority on the novelist, Joseph Furphy. The date was seen as significant since it marked the 145th anniversary of the death of Judith, the young sister of John and Joseph Furphy, who died soon after commencing school in Kangaroo Ground 1851. Andrew Ross chronicled the event in his reminiscences. The most distinctive product to carry the Furphy brand would certainly be the water cart. The presence of the cart in military camps in Australia and overseas during the First World War led to the name of Furphy becoming an indelible part of our language and idiom. It was used extensively in Europe and the Middle East to carry water to the troops and the drivers of the carts were notorious sources of information and gossip for the men as they moved from camp to camp. As could be expected, not all their news was reliable and so it was that the word Furphy rapidly became a synonym for suspect information or rumour. Source: Kangaroo Ground Chronicle, Vol 1 No 2 Autumn 1996 Note the Shire of Eltham Historical Society Community Banner on display.Five colour photographsandrew ross museum, furphy festival, kangaroo ground

A photocopy of a Saturday Age article on a film about the Furphy Brothers and based on a book written by Joseph Furphy in 1903.This family made the iconic Furphy water carts at their Shepparton foundry. A photocopy of a Saturday Age article on a film about the Furphy Brothers.Nilfurphy, shepparton, water carts

2010 Carter's price guide to antiques in Australia, 768 pages of antiques with photographs, descriptions & valuations, published by John FurphyJohn Furphybook, antiques valuations, antiques, history, antiques valuations

Early Australian water cartage system, used originally in agricultural areas, later in theatres of war. Iconic Australian company who pioneered agricultural equipment.Water cart invented by John Furphy, who attended Andrew Ross's school between 1851 and 1855, and manufactured by the Furphy Foundry.Typical 'Good better best' and other words.furphy nixon shepparton kangaroo ground

A satirical newsletter (No.9 14.12.1935) for fellow Legatees. Much of the humour falls flat now, and would be considered politically incorrect. It is not known if other issues were published or in existence or how often the newsletter was published.Exemplifies the comradeship amongst Legatees in the early years.White foolscap paper with black type x 6 pages of a newsletter to Legatees.comradeship, newsletter

Furphy water carts were first made in 1895Furphy Water Cart, Three wheel tractor drawn tank on a wooden frame. Original wheels and body made by J. Furphy Foundry. Holds 180 gallons. Red ends has signature Furphy markings with indented writing. Refer to photos

Colour photograph of a water cart made by Furphy of Shepartonfurphy, j. furphy, j. furphy and sons, water cart, sheparton

Colour photograph of a Furphy's Farm Water Cartfurphy, j. furphy, j. furphy and sons, water cart, sheparton, farming

Churchill Island Heritage Farm has a large photograph collection dating from the nineteenth century. Photograph of a horse pulling a Churchill Island Furphy cart through a paddock and talking to a man walking alongside.Catalogue number written on reverse in pencil Handwritten on pen in reverse 'C.I. Furphy cart in use. C.I. Easter Festival 30/3/2013'churchill island, photograph

Churchill Island has a large photographic collection dating from the nineteenth century. This series shows the extensive work and volunteering conducted on site by workers after it was turned into a heritage siteColour photograph of the Churchill Island Furphy cart being pulled by a man who talks to a man holding a long rope. Probably taken at the Churchill Island Easter Festival 30/03/2013Catalogue number on reverse in pencil. Written on reverse in pen "C.I. Furphy cart in use. C.I.Easter Festival 30/3/2013"churchill island, photograph

Photo shows the horse drawn MMTB cable drum carrying wagon at the TMSV Museum at Bylands, mid 1970s. Has the MMTB identification, address and mass details painted on the vehicle. Behind the wagon is a Furphy water cart. Used to carry and distribute cable including overhead. Photo of the vehicle can be seen on page 68 of the book Destination City 3rd Edition.Yields information about the MMTB cable drum carrying wagon at Bylands.Photograph - MMTB horse drawn cable drum wagon at the TMSV Bylands Museum On rear in ink. TMSV – Horse drawn cable drum wagon at Bylands (Also Furphy water tank), Keith Kings photo. tramways, tmsv, bylands, horse drawn vehicles, overhead, cable drum

Churchill Island Heritage Farm has a large photograph collection dating from the nineteenth century. Photograph of horse hitched to the Furphy cartCatalogue number written on reverse in pencil churchill island, photograph

Churchill Island Heritage Farm has a large photograph collection dating from the nineteenth century. Photograph of a horse hitched to a Furphy cart.Catalogue number written on reverse in pencil churchill island, photograph

stawell

p.276.fictionA novel of country life - and some romance - in Australiaaustralia - fiction, joseph furphy