CAPTAIN KIDD AND ODD COCKATOO SOLD SEASHELLS GALORE BY THE SEASHORE

Another  salty Shipping  Reporter special  from  the  excellent   current  Greetings from  Magnetic  Island  Souvenirs  Exhibition  at  the  Magnetic  Museum , Picnic Bay . 

One of  the  colourful  past  tourist  attractions  on  Magnetic Island -Townsville's Jewel  in the Crown - was  Captain  Kidd's  Treasure Chest, at Horseshoe Bay ,  named  after   a  piratical  pet  Cockatoo, which  hardly  had a feather on its body ,  The  owners were  June and  Jim  Moore. 

When  it  opened circa 1960s, it was a dedicated souvenir shop selling  a wide variety of items, mainly produced  locally  crafts   such  as  palm frond  hats , carved  coconut faces  , baskets  and   ornaments. By the l980s, Captain  Kidd was  mainly selling  imported , from Indonesia ,  items- small  shell animals , engraved views  on  shells and  chandelier- like  shell  hangers.

In a real blast from the past, some of  the stock from the long gone shop, below,   is  on display and for sale at  the Museum. Included  in  it  is a shell  from  the Shark World aquarium , at Nelly Bay,  another past  tourist   attraction , its  shells  also  imported .  

 

The  current Marlin Bar at  Horseshoe Bay  is  on  the  Captain  Kidd's Treasure  Chest  site. NEXT :  More  souvenirs  , some for  places  lost   in   translation .