She entered service on 28 October 1884, was decommissioned in 1916 and then sold to the Victorian Ports and Harbours Department, who operated her under the name Rip until 1948 when she was retired.

They were improved, slightly larger versions of HMVS Albert which was also built in 1884 for the colony of Victoria.

[3] Paluma was propelled by horizontal direct action compound steam engines, which drove two screws that were capable of producing 400 ihp (298 kW), with bunkerage for 75 tons of coal, which gave her a range of 700 to 800 mi (1,100 to 1,300 km) at a cruising speed of 10.5 knots (19.4 km/h; 12.1 mph).

[3] Over the next eight years, Paluma conducted survey work on the Great Barrier Reef for the Admiralty.

[2] The 1893 Brisbane flood ripped Paluma from her moorings and left her well above the high water mark in the nearby botanical gardens.

As locals considered how to return her to the Brisbane River, another major flood two weeks later refloated the gunboat, and she was pulled clear without any significant damage.