PS Gem

PS Gem at the Pioneer Settlement in Swan Hill, Victoria (2018)
History
Australia
NameGem
OwnerE C Randell (first owner)
Port of registryAdelaide, South Australia
RouteMurray River, Australia
BuilderAir and Westergaard
Laid down1876
Launched1877
Out of service1953
Refit1882
HomeportMorgan, South Australia
Nickname(s)The Queen of the Murray
StatusStatic display
General characteristics
Class and typePaddle steamer
Length
  • 93 ft 4 in (28.45 m) (1877)
  • 133 ft 6 in (40.69 m) (1882)
Beam
  • 20 ft 4 in (6.20 m) (1877)
  • 20 ft 7 in (6.27 m) (1882)
Draught4 ft 6 in (1.37 m)
Depth
  • 6 ft 7 in (2.01 m) (1877)
  • 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) (1882)
PropulsionSide wheel
Speed
  • Upstream: 7.5 knots
  • Downstream: 11 knots
Notes[1]

The PS Gem is a retired side-wheel paddle steamer that was first launched in 1876 on the Murray River at Moama, New South Wales. She operated as a cargo and passenger steamer, regularly cruising between Morgan and Mildura. The Gem operated as a tourist passenger vessel during the 1930s and 1940s, and was retired in the early 1950s. In 1962 the Gem was sold to the then Swan Hill Folk Museum, where it would become a static display and historic monument.[2]

  1. ^ Rowland, E C (1976). The Paddle Steamer Gem: Queen of the Murray. Melbourne: Mullaya Publications. ISBN 0-85914-019-9.
  2. ^ "Centenary of Paddle Steamer "Gem"". Monument Australia. Retrieved 9 July 2021.