The Furphy Brothers – No tall stories here

Ever heard the expression ‘telling a Furphy’? In this episode, you’ll learn where that saying comes from. John Furphy was the inventor of the ubiquitous Furphy water cart, seen all over rural Australia. It was during the first world war that the famous water cart let to the slang expression ‘telling a Furphy’. His younger brother John was known for his literary talents – he's been dubbed the ‘father of the Australian novel’. As a bullock driver on the Hay plains, he would read Shakespeare and the bible, while his colleagues drank away their earnings. In 1903, he published, ‘Such is Life’, a book celebrated for being ‘offensively Australian’. Although their name is synonymous with ‘spinning a tall story’, these brothers were dedicated to the truth. The Furphy foundry still operates to this day in his home of Shepparton, Victoria. Further information: Such is Life , by Joseph Furphy You can find Dr Paul Roe online at theoutbackhistorian.com.au and Katrina Roe at katrinaroe.com

You can listen to The Furphy Brothers – No tall stories here online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

The Furphy Brothers – No tall stories here is an episode from Australia's Invisible History by Hope 103.2 Digital Team.

This episode is 15:09 long.

This episode was published on Aug 29, 2022.

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