Launched in 1975 by Australian Shipbuilding Industries, the ship was designed for the Department of Transport as the lighthouse tender Lumen.

Around this time, the RAN was looking to acquire vessels under the Craft of Opportunity Program, to serve as auxiliary minesweepers and technology testbeds.

[3][5][6] The RAN arranged to purchase Lumen from the Department of Transport, with the ship entering naval service as MSA Brolga (taking the name used by a World War I auxiliary minesweeper) on 10 February 1988, in a handover ceremony at HMAS Moreton in Brisbane.

[3] In 1991, she sailed from Jervis Bay to Bass Strait to provide sonar and navigation support to clearance diving teams involved in the search and recovery of a RAAF Boeing 707 that crashed during a training exercise.

[3] After the Huon-class minehunters finished entering service in 2002, Brolga was no longer required by the RAN and was marked for disposal.

[2] Later converted to a diving and salvage platform, the renamed Retriever 1 was suspected to be linked to the disappearance of conman Peter Foster in January 2007.

She was detained and searched multiple times by Vanuatuan police, and three of the ship's eight crew were arrested on immigration and firearms charges.