Brothers was a small timber paddle wheel steam ship and one of the earliest constructed in the colony.

A sporadic ferry service to the Manly area had been established in the 1830s provided by a small sailing ketch operated by Barney Kearns and that service ran between Balgowlah and Balmoral after which passengers had to head overland to Milson's Point and then be rowed across the harbour by a waterman.

[1] Brothers began her career on Saturday, 9 October 1847 initially engaged to run from Windmill Street in The Rocks to Blues Point from 8am until 6.30pm.

In 1848 she shifted to the Manly route on a sporadic service which was to change in 1853 when Henry Gilbert Smith chartered the vessel following his opening up of Manly as a holiday destination.

[2] In this role she became the first scheduled ferry between Manly and Sydney along her with running mate, the 1858-built PS Phantom.