Koonya - Places to See

The Wooden Railway
The convicts built a wooden railway from the mountains to the sea to bring the felled logs out of the forests. It is now no longer in evidence. However the people who host the Cascades Colonial Accommodation have walks into the mountains which point out the places where the convicts worked.

Historic Buildings
The buildings in the area include the old hospital on one side of the road (it is a large two storey Georgian building set in an apple grove and capable of accommodating six people) and the workshop, mess hall, and officer's quarters in a group of buildings on the other side of the road. The workshop has been turned into a small museum and the officer's quarters, three connected cottages, have been converted into superb colonial accommodation. They won an Australian Heritage award in 1986.

Koonya is a unique holiday experience. The rooms have been superbly restored, the setting is charming, the walks to the mountains and to the sea are fascinating, and the old buildings form one of the finest collections of early nineteenth century structures on the island.