Dunny

A dunny at Walcha, New South Wales

Dunny or dunny can is Australian slang for toilet, either the room or the specific fixture, especially an outhouse or other outdoor toilets. It is often used to specify a distinction between a flushing toilet and a non-flushing toilet (e.g., a longdrop or thunderbox). First used in print in 1952, the word is believed to be derived from the much older 'dunnakin' (also spelled 'dunnigin' and 'dunegan')^[1] meaning privy.

In colloquial (Australian) English no distinction is made between the type of toilet; all types of "convenience" being commonly referred to as a dunny. In the bush or Outback the dunny can be a conveniently sheltered part of the paddock or indeed any place where one relieves oneself.

History

Triple seated dunny, Wauchope, NSW

Traditionally, dunnies were found in unsewered areas and consisted of little more than a seat placed over a can (or "dunny-can") or deep hole (or cesspit). The latter variation can be referred to more specifically as a longdrop. Dunnies were maintained at some distance from houses for obvious reasons of smell and hygiene. The sheds themselves were generally made of either wood or corrugated iron, to facilitate the moving of the dunny if required (for example, if the hole in the longdrop was filled up).

In mining areas dunnies are sometimes placed over disused mine shafts.

Norman Park, like many areas of Brisbane, was unsewered until the late 1960s, with each house having an outhouse or "dunny" in the back yard.

By the middle of the twentieth century, dunnies had become much less common as modern plumbing diminished the need to keep toilets at a distance from the house. Nevertheless even some large cities, such as Brisbane, had unsewered suburbs where residences required dunnies into the early 1970s, and they lingered on in Tasmania until the early 1980s.

In built up areas it was unhygienic to rely on cesspits and the usual arrangement was for waste to be collected in a can placed under the dunny. The cans would be collected, emptied, washed and replaced weekly by contractors hired by the local city or town council.

In modern times, many dunnies on old houses remained in use, but have been refitted with modern plumbing and flushing toilets. They are also used in areas too remote to justify the expense of pumping water and sewage piping to, but where there is a need for toilet facilities, such as at remote campsites or along walking tracks. Farmers and station owners sometimes also construct dunnies at remote but often used yards or sheds.

The Great Australian Dunny Race has evolved to become an icon during the Weerama Festival at Werribee.^[2]

New Zealand

In New Zealand a dunny is a portable toilet. These are seen on construction sites as well as events. If serviced weekly one dunny per every 10 workers will be needed in order to meet health standards (assuming a 40 hour work week). For events the process of calculating the number of dunnies required is a complicated task. It depends on the number of people attending, the period of the event, what type of food and drink will be served, the ratio of men to woman, the ratio of children, and even the climate. Often the event organisers will order less that the number required to cut costs, this will usually give the Dunny a bad name because if over used they will become unpleasant to use.

See also

• Outhouse

External links

• Outback buildings
• National Public Toilet Map (List of public toilets vulgo dunnies)

References

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