| Type: | other |
| Koonya | |
| State: | tas |
| Coordinates: | -43.1°N 192°W |
| Pushpin Label Position: | right |
| Lga: | Tasman |
| Postcode: | 7184 |
| Pop: | 134 |
| Pop Year: | 2016 census |
| Pop Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation Footnotes: | = |
| Stategov: | Lyons |
| Fedgov: | Lyons |
| Region: | South-east |
| Location1: | Nubeena |
| Dist1: | 18 |
| Dir1: | NE |
| Near-Nw: | Norfolk Bay |
| Near-N: | Norfolk Bay |
| Near-Ne: | Taranna |
| Near-E: | Taranna |
| Near-W: | Premaydena |
| Near-Sw: | Nubeena |
| Near-S: | Port Arthur |
| Near-Se: | Port Arthur |
Koonya is a rural locality in the local government area (LGA) of Tasman in the South-east LGA region of Tasmania. The locality is about north-east of the town of Nubeena. The 2016 census has a population of 134 for the state suburb of Koonya.[1] It hosts the annual Koonya Garlic Festival, a "one-day celebration".[2]
The area was formerly known as Cascades, but had been changed by 1888. Koonya was gazetted as a locality in 1968. The name is believed to be an Aboriginal word, but the meaning is disputed.[3]
It was established in 1841 as one of outlying parts of the network of penal colony sites centered on Port Arthur.[4] Under its former name of "Cascades", it was populated by at least 400 convicts.[4]
After the Port Arthur penal colony was closed, and Van Diemen's Land was renamed "Tasmania", a number of places in Tasmania were renamed; "Cascades" was renamed "Koonya".[5]
The waters of Norfolk Bay form most of the northern boundary.
A weather radar for the City of Hobart is in the Koonya locality.[6]
Route B37 (Nubeena Road) enters from the north-east and runs through to the north-west, where it exits. Route C343 (Nubeena Back Road) starts at an intersection with B37 and runs south-west until it exits.[3] [7]