"Humpy" is the name given to the
traditional Australian Aboriginal hut. A humpy is a well-made construction of
bark and the boughs of a
tree. The traditional humpy is large enough to hold sleeping
family members at night and in wet weather but would be very cosy should the family wish to stay inside for long periods of time (ie, they would be cramped).
Today the word humpy has been reappropriated by the majority of white Australians to mean a poorly constructed tin/iron shanty owned by a homeless/poor person. The word has subsequently gained a negative association as it is linked to low socio-economic areas (eg, the old derro lives in his humpy near the old shanty town).
The traditional humpy is also known as the gunyah (or gunya), mia-mia (or mai-mai), or hurley (or wurley).