She was a near identical sister vessel with Kanangra both of which were launched in 1912 during the early-twentieth pre-Sydney Harbour Bridge boom years of Sydney Ferries Limited.

At launch, the press noted Kirawa was built for the then new Cremorne service,[4] which was then run separately to the Mosman route.

Sister Kanangra, however, was in passenger service until 1985 and is now part of the Sydney Heritage Fleet and is moored at Rozelle Bay undergoing restoration.

Sydney Ferries Limited generally choose Australian Aboriginal names for the early twentieth "K-class" steamers.

[7] Kirawa, Kanangra and the three similarly sized "Kirrule-type" ferries were built for the booming Cremorne and Mosman routes, with each vessel having an approximate capacity of 1,000 passengers.

Following the 1932 opening of the Sydney Harbour Bridge, Kirawa was kept in service, while 18, most older ferries, were decommissioned due to the drop in demand.

Hulked, she was renamed Demolisher and, along with the stripped-down Manly ferry Balgowlah, was used in the demolition and removal of the old Iron Cove Bridge.

[8][10] Kanangra was converted to diesel power in 1959, and her tall smoke stack was replaced with a smaller exhaust funnel, and the boilers became the fuel tanks.