["Local and General", The Northern Times (Carnarvon, WA), Saturday 03 April 1909, page 2]
...
S.s. KOOMBANA.--A large number of Carnarvonites journeyed down to the jetty to inspect the new steamer Koombana, and one and all were loud in their praises of the Adelaide Steamship Co.'s latest addition to their fleet. The cabins are models of comfort and the convenience of passengers is studied in every way, the accommodation for second-class passengers being particularly good. The promenades were not as clean as one expected to find them, but this was accounted for by the fact that the rough time the boat experienced with the lightening and reloading of cargo at Shark Bay exhausted the crew. During her trip up the coast however the application of hose and brush should restore the boat's pristine cleanliness. The passengers spoke very highly of the way the officers and crew worked during the trying time at Shark Bay. As showing the steaming capabilities of the steamer, it might be mentioned that she covered the distance from Carnarvon to Onslow (280 miles) in 20½ hours, which is a record. A quantity of Carnarvon cargo was overcarried. Captain Rees, in discussing the mishap at Shark Bay, said little beyond what the public already know. The morning was hazy, and he mistook the middle buoy for the first one. These buoys, he said, were now similar in appearance. As an enquiry will be held at Fremantle into the subject of the grounding of the boat, comment without knowing the full facts of the case would be inadvisable.
