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Gem

Vessel numberHV000118

Previous Numberhv

Previous NumberHV000118

Previous NumberHV000119

Builder Air and Westgaard

Previous owner Reid, Reid and King

Previous owner Reid, King and Chaffey

Previous owner King and Chaffey

Previous owner River Murray Navigation Company

Previous owner Landseer and Chaffey

Previous owner Landseer, Chaffey, Ritchie, McGrouther, Leishman

Previous owner Gem Navigation Co. (1907 - 1938)

Previous owner Murray Shipping Ltd

Date1876

DimensionsVessel Dimensions: 40 m x 6.8 m x 1.35 m (131.24 ft x 22.31 ft x 4.43 ft)

DescriptionGEM was built by Air and Westergard in 1876 at Moama on the NSW side of the Murray River. The 27 metre long hull was planked in red gum, which grew along the banks of the Murray River. Oregon was used for the superstructure to keep the craft light and to keep the draft shallow. In 1882 it underwent a major transformation at Goolwa in SA. There it was cut in half through the mid-section. The two halves were then separated by a bullock team which was used to pull the forward part away from the aft section. A new 13 metre long centre-section was then added to rejoin the vessel. At 40 metres long overall, GEM then became the longest paddle steamer on the Murray River.

The legendary Hugh King, known as 'The Grand Old Man of the River’ was GEM's captain for many years, and the vessel went through a number of changes in ownership during its long lifespan. It also went through a variety of uses, in more or less the following succession: barge, towing vessel, passenger vessel, home and then a boarding house.

GEM was towed up from Mildura to Swan Hill in 1962, the longest tow in Murray River paddle steamer history, and became the opening exhibit at the Swan Hill Pioneer Settlement Museum. Here it became the entry-exit building, local art gallery, museum office, caretaker's flat and Australia's first bush-tucker restaurant.

It was also the first paddle steamer to be restored and heralded a resurgence in paddle steamer history, leading to the restoration of a number of other Murray River paddle steamers. As part of the display at Swan Hill it is a major part of the Pioneer Settlement Museum's education program where thousands of students have used it as a part of their study of the Murray River's history. GEM has also been on the Victorian Heritage Register for many years.

(Prepared from material supplied by the Pioneer Settlement Museum)
SignificanceGEM isa paddle steamer built in 1876 in NSW. It a very early example of a Murray River paddle steamer and after modifications in 1882 it became the biggest paddle steamer on the Murray River. A number of important figures on the Murray River are associated with GEM, and in the early 1960s it also became the first of its type to be restored and put back into operation.