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 made her maiden voyage behind the Pearl on 22 July 1876, leaving Echuca for Hay with a collective 22 tons of cargo and four passengers.

[1]: 1 It was reported in early 1877 that the Gem and her sister barge Ruby were to be fitted with steam engines (and additional decking) in Echuca.

Though the reserve was not met, an invitation for private bids was released, and an announcement was later made that the vessel had been sold to E P Sabine, a South Australian river trader.

This route was adjusted by January 1879, the Gem then offering a regular service between Wentworth and Morgan (where the railway line from Adelaide had recently opened).

[1]: 8  By 10 February 1882, the Gem had reportedly passed through Mannum on her way to Goolwa, where she would "be cut in two and forty feet more in length put into her, which... [would] make her of a very much lighter draught".

She was able to offer this service only from June to December, remaining laid up due to low river levels for the remainder of the year.

[1]: 9–11 In November 1888, the Gem was acquired by a partnership of Captain King and C Chaffey, who a month later formed the River Murray Navigation Company.

In late December 1903, the Gem suffered an accident when the rudder chain jammed, resulting in the vessel running at full speed into a gum tree on the Victorian bank.

[1]: 12–17 During a visit to Mildura in October 1909, Sir Thomas Gibson-Carmichael (the Governor of Victoria) travelled aboard the PS Gem.

On the morning of October 20, the Governor and a party of fifty to sixty boarded the Gem, visiting the junction of the Murray and Darling Rivers, before continuing to Wentworth.

On 6 November 1948, the Gem struck a snag near Cal Lal, New South Wales, resulting in a break of the planking of the forward hold on the port side.

[7] In more recent years, the Gem has been completely restored with fresh paint and upgrades, including the removal of all the art gallery and restaurant fittings.

[13] Both the engine and boiler of the PS Gem were sold for scrap in 1956, with the remaining empty space being filled with equivalent weight ensuring the vessel's flotation at correct angles and depth.