AFTER nearly half a century, the Port's oldest tourist attraction - the Shell Museum - continues to be a drawcard for both national and international visitors.
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Owners Arthur and Pauline Hockings, who took over the business from original owner Toby Martin, have just clocked up 40 years of operation.
The Corlette business was opened in 1967 featuring a collection of ocean shells assembled by Mr Martin, a former navy diver, and later purchased by the Hockings family.
"Many of the early shells were collected from the Pacific and Indian oceans, but today our shells come from all points of the world including the Philippines, Vietnam, Mexico and India," Mr Hockings said.
He estimates there are more than one million shells on site, of which about 33,000 are for sale. Prices range from 10 cents to $75 for the large helmet shells.
"We have shells of different shapes and sizes, including cones, cowries, murex, helmets, sea urchins, volutes, strombs and they even come in different colours.
"Most people like to use them for bathroom ornaments and windchimes or to make necklaces, rings and other jewellery."
As it is one of the few remaining shell museums still operating in NSW, Mr Hockings said overseas travellers were common.
"I am not sure if we have hosted any movie celebrities, but we did have the Portuguese Ambassador here some years ago."
Mr Hockings said there were no special celebrations planned for the couple's 40-year milestone, but he suggested they could hand out free shells for one day when the museum celebrates its 50th anniversary in two years time.
Entrance to the museum is just 50 cents.