 but also recorded as capable of up to 10 knots

At the time it was expected that the Queen Bee would prove to be a valuable acquisition to the NSW coastal fleet, with its maiden voyage a run from Sydney to Newcastle on the 14 June 1907

The early runs of the "Queen Bee" appear to have been somewhat diverse including transporting local south coast timber sleepers as well as its local coal runs

Charlie Stephens, at the tender age of 12, had come from Sydney to Kioloa around 1906 to join his father and brother Bill in a sleeper-cutter’s camp at Johnson’s Creek, two kilometers west of Kioloa.There were 15 to 20 men in the camp, but no women.The men did not stop long.