The Koonya was a wood carvel screw steamer built in 1887 at Hobart, that was wrecked when it stuck the shore at Doboy reef whilst carrying passengers & cargo between Moruya and Sydney and was lost off Cronulla Beach, Port Hacking, New South Wales on 25 January 1898.

The SS Koonya was named in the Tasmanian aboriginal dialect after the portion of the island Sorell[1] The vessel was custom built for the Risby Bros merchants in Tasmania by the well-known local shipbuilder William Bayes at Tilly's shipyard, Battery Point.

)"[2] The vessel was originally intended to be launched on Saturday 7 May 1887 but owing to the unfavourable state of the tide the ceremony was postponed until Tuesday 10 May 1887 where some 400 spectators watched.

The launch may be termed highly successful, no hitch of any kind taking place, and from the time the first chock was knocked away, 10 minutes did not elapse until the vessel rode in her native element[2] On the afternoon of the launch, the Koonya was towed around to the crane wharf to have the boiler fitted the next day and the work of fixing the engines and otherwise finishing her.

[2] After the launch and the machinery being fitted the steamer was again slipped for several weeks, and several extensive additions made, and she received her final touches on the stocks in Mr. Lucas' yards, Queen's Domain.

[3] When originally built the vessel was described at the time of her launching as: The general appearance of the new craft is built on more symmetrical lines, the Koonya promises to be a fast steamer, and should soon make a name for herself, and prove a profitable investment to her owner, who intends to put her in the Channel and Sorell trade The Koonya is rigged as a fore-and-aft schooner, with a flush deck, surrounded with a Tasmanian Blackwood hand-rail.

Her keel, frame, kelson, and bottom planking’s are of blue gum, with a top of Oregon pine, whilst the decks and beams are of kauri, and every bit of timber in her is well seasoned and of the best possible quality.

Her engines, which arrived here in the SS Chollerton, are from the well-known works of Ross and Duncan, Glasgow, the firm, and are on the compound surface condensing principle, having a nominal horse-power of 30.

[1] When the vessel made is initial water trial, despite the rain, a large number of spectators assembled on the New Wharf to watch the new boat make her first start.

At About half-past 2 o'clock the word was given to cast off shore lines, and the Koonya glided into midstream, heading for Kangaroo Point Bluff.

As the engines are at present new, and therefore work stiffly, the owners calculate that they will shortly be able to considerably exceed that rate but taking it altogether it may fairly be reckoned a very good performance[3] When initially launched Messrs. Risby's Bros secured Mr. William Wilson as the captain, who had until recently held a similar position on board the barque Natal Queen, and Risby's Bros were considered fortunate in having secured the services of such "a genial skipper and good mariner as he is known to be".

[4] The vessel's maiden voyage was between Hobart, Tasman's Peninsula, East Bay Neck, and Lewisham on Monday 15 August 1887, with" a profusion of bunting being displayed from the rigging " it was then intended that the vessel leave Hobart every Monday and Thursday at 8:00 a.m., returning from Lewisham, via intermediate[clarification needed] calling places every Tuesday and Friday.,[5][6] Within a month of this first voyage the Koonya ran aground alongside the wharf, at North West Bay and hours after midnight the Koonya was refloated, and had a good run back to Hobart.

The trip occupied only 23 hours, there was no danger or inconvenience William Wilson, master of the SS Koonya admitted the breach of the regulations and was given a penalty of 5s for each passenger carried over the number prescribed by law, in addition to a fine of two guineas, with professional and other costs.

on the return journey shortly after 4 O’clock, and all went well until about a mile of the distance had been covered when she collided with some rocks, the result being that the propeller was seriously injured, making a perceptible difference in her speed.

The passengers were brought into town by the special train in connection with the Colebrook races The Koonya will have to remain in her present berth till the bridge can be repaired.

The Koonya, which was returning from her pleasure trip to Oyster Cove, collided with the Pinafore, smashing her stern to the water-line, but sustaining no damage to herself.

The Pinafore immediately began to fill, but with the aid of some men the master succeeded in transferring some heavy timber from aft to the fore part of the vessel.

The Koonya, when coming down from New Norfolk yesterday, struck on a log lying in the river, and stripped three blades off her propeller, which will necessitate her being slipped.

[16] At around this time the owners of the Koonya decided to remove her from her long-held Hobart-to-Strahan route and place her on the run between Launceston and the west coast.

.Reynolds and Co. She continued in this 'trade until early in April of this year, when .he became the property of Mr. J. S. Lee, of the Duck River, and since that time she has been employed in the West Coast carrying trade.

The passengers speak in unmeasured terms of praise of Miss Rankin's noble efforts in helping the women and children during the trying time They also have a good word for the master and crew After getting ashore an impromptu camp was put up, in winch the whole party breakfasted, plenty of everything being available by boat from the vessel Very soon after, however, whether owing to the tide rising and the heavy easterly swell setting in (wind at time of wreck was S E to E ), the vessel began to range about, and presently broke in halves, and at high water only a little of her stern could be seen Then the action of the sea soon smashed her up, and wreckage was strewn along the beach Cheese were particularly in evidence, and some 20 pigs out of 25 that were on board were seen gambolling on the beach At this time no person had put in an appearance at the scene, and the captain sent a message into Sutherland, whence it was dispatched to Sydney, asking for conveyances to be sent to take the people to the hotel at Port Hacking In response to this message a conveyance came, and took the party with their effects to the hotel The road is a pretty rough one, so that progress was slow, and the people had to get out and walk at intervals At the hotel all their requirements were attended to The vessel struck the Doboy reef about three-quarters of a mile from the shore the vessel was going at the rate of about eight knots.... , and she broke up in a few hours The stern portion of the vessel, with the ladies' cabin intact, was washed up on the rocks to high-water mark, where it remained fast.

The list -Mrs. Jones Miss F Holder, Mrs. Warren and four children, Mrs. Walters and one child, Mrs. Craig, Messrs Cleary, Hopkins, M. Dean, Murphy, W Smith, Master Jeffrevs, Captain Holder The Cargo 1222 cheese, 100 bags corn, 310 bags bark, 14 bags potatoes, 1 case fish, 12 hides, 3 kegs and 7 boxes butter, 7 boxes eggs, 6 blocks granite, 39 pigs, and sundries The Koonya was a wooden screw steamer of 119 tons, built 10 years ago in Hobart, and owned by the Moruya Steam Navigation Company She was insured for £2500[27] Thomas Nicholson, skipper of the Koonya, said that he had been in command of the boat about 13 months, or it might be a little more trading between Sydney, Moruya, Wagonga, and Montague Island The wreck was sold at auction for £50 to Mr. Einerson after having start at a £5 bid[28] The vessel struck the Doboy reef about three-quarters of a mile from the shore[27] the steamer ran ashore on a fungus-growth patch at the northernmost end of Cronulla Beach[27] and the crew took a line ashore.

This was made fast to a tree, the vessel being about 50 or 60 yards from the land[27] When talking about the grounding of the Marjorie the site was described as The only inhabitants are a handful of fisher folk, who manage to keep their craft in a little rockbound inlet called Boat Harbour.

She just missed the main reef In the vicinity-the Doughboy bombora-and managed to run into a narrow and shallow channel in the Merries.