A furphy, is Australian slang for a rumour, or an erroneous or improbable story. But for many outback travellers they would have stumbled across these iconic iron castings branding the Furphy Name and famous catch phase "Good, better, best -
never let it rest - till your good is better - and your better best."
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 during the First World War led to the name of Furphy becoming an indelible part of our language. The carts were typically placed near the latrine area, the only place in the camp where soldiers were out of the controlling eye of their officers allowing them the freedon to express their thoughts on the latest news that was, at best, unreliable. Known as a "Furphy" Water carts were used extensively in Europe and the Middle East to carry water to the troops. 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.