A BULL shark measuring 2.4m has been caught in a creek behind a shopping complex, about 15km upstream from the mouth of a river.

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Most people love a bargain and that’s what you’ll find when you go op-shopping, whether it is clothing, accessories, furniture, or other good you are after. And sometimes you don’t even know what you need until you see it!

Shopping at op-shops serves several purposes. It is environmentally friendly because you save those goods from ending up in land-fill somewhere; what you pay for the goods goes to charity; you are saving yourself money, and by recycling clothes you save on the production of even more clothing that may have cost the environment something in lost resources.

And another good thing; when you get home, try on the clothes you bought and find you hate them after all, then you haven’t lost more than the price of a cup of coffee, so who’s worried? So go and have a great, guilt free time op-shopping and see what gems you can find.

There are many thrift stores and op-shops around. Lifeline, the Salvos and St Vinnies have them all over the place. Lifeline on Ann, in Ann St Fortitude Valley is just one, but there are many more in all suburbs and in Paddington and the West End.

Not all op-shops are vintage specialists, of course. While you can usually find a bargain or three in most op-shops, there are specialist vintage shops that are more likely to keep things of yesteryear that are of more value. Endo’s in Paddington is one of these vintage specialists.

If you are anywhere near Beenleigh you cold drop in on Alpha Pre-loved and Export Clothing, while the Annerley Road New and Preloved Clothing shop in Woolloongabba also is worthy of attention. Sandgate is blessed with Penny’s New and Preloved Clothing and East Brisbane has the Community Centre Thrift Shop where there are many bargains in the way of books and home-wares as well as clothing.

The Citipointe West Op shop in Rosemary Street, Inala is also a treasure trove of goods including electrical, office goods, bedding and kitchenware. Just as you can find tiny boutiques selling unique clothing in the most surprising places, so you are likely to find a small op-shop hidden around a corner on your travels. It could be one that is dedicated to saving animals, or a church op-shop held in the church hall once a month.

These are especially good places to come across wonderful bargains such as dainty floral dinner sets that are from another era, or marvellous old photo frames that would cost the earth to get made these days. So go and hunt for that bargain and save your budget while you do the planet a good turn.

Everyone loves to receive a gift for their birthday or at Christmas, but it is not always easy to find the perfect present. Some people seem to have everything, while others are just plain hard to please. For the person who is hard to buy a gift for, you may find something that is just perfect at an antique store.

A gift from an antique store will be something that is not available in the normal retail store, so can be claimed to be that extra bit special. It may be a tad more expensive – but then again, it may not. With costs of everything climbing all the time, an antique gift could be real value for money. And another thing about an antique gift is that it will very likely increase in value as the years go by. So the person who receives an antique gift should consider themselves very lucky.

You may also simply want to try and match something in your own home decor that seems not to be available in regular stores. An antique shop could provide the very thing you need with the many beautiful vintage wares they have on offer. The colours and styles of a bygone era are rich and graceful and could add elegance to your decor that may be impossible to find in modern furniture or furnishings.

There are many beautiful antique shops in Brisbane, so the savvy gift shopper will probably want to check them all out. At the Woolloongabba Antique Centre in Wellington Road you will be able to check out the wares offered by all 55 antique dealers. You can get free parking so staying for the day will not pose any extra costs for parking. And when you start to get peckish, stop and fill up at one of those great cafes. Twice Upon a Time is one shop you shouldn’t miss for its lovely antique furniture and crockery such as Doulton and Royal Worcester.

You can also while away lots of time by browsing through 60 odd antique dealers shops at Paddington Antique Centre. Here you will find not only furniture and furnishings, but jewellery, bric-a-brac and other collectables. Give yourself plenty of time; this kind of shopping cannot be rushed if that great bargain is not to be missed.

Wallrocks in Albion is another place to go shopping for antiques, but these are not sourced from local supplies. Here you will find elegant – and expensive – furniture from the Georgian and Regency eras among others.

Parents love to buy educational toys for their children, especially those who are under school age. They know that it is a challenging world out there and anything that might give their kids the edge on learning is welcome. But of course it has to be fun for the kids too, or they won’t want to play and learn from it. Educational toy stores are the places to go for a good choice of challenging and stimulating toys for little ones.

Things that kids can build or make are classed as educational. They are mentally stimulating and enhance their small motor skills as well. Experts found that many children who grew up with meccano sets in the old days became construction engineers. Crackerjack is great toy store in Balmoral that has many building and making toys as well as some endearing ride-on insects and animals.

New Educational Wooden Puzzle Jigsaw Toys Number Finger

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AU $6.99

21h 33m

PRETEND PLAY DOCTOR'S SET Educational Toys Preschool

AU $6.00

23m

HUGE LOT CHILDRENS EDUCATIONAL TOYS!! Must see pics!!!!

3 Bids

AU $21.26

4d 18h 21m

Toys Educational 1000 Pcs Spring Bird Jigsaw Puzzles

AU $18.21

16h 51m

ANIMAL HOMES and FOOD educational game PRESCHOOL Toys

AU $18.50

2d 23h 47m

If you can’t go shopping without your children, then take them to Bim Bam Boom because this toy store offers activities and classes for the children. That will keep them busy while you do all the shopping. Once those gifts are wrapped, the kids won’t know what is in them, and they may not even ask because they’ll be so busy thinking about the great time they just had.

Early Learning Centres are one of the best places to buy educational toys and you’ll find these at Upper Mt Gravatt, Chermside (called Kids Central) and Indooroopilly. Then for scientific or maths toys, puppet theatre or a reading nook what better place to go than Growing World, a fabulous toy shop in the Emporium. Where’s that? Ann Street, Fortitude Valley is the address.

Of course a lot of educational children’s play is done outside. Enhance their outdoors play experience with special outdoor toys such as forts, slides or a cubbyhouse from Peppertown, in Sandgate Road, Virginia. They also have things like canoes, playgrounds and aquatic play gear.

Some smart person has come up with a great idea to help out those who would love to buy more expensive toys but just cannot afford it. They have toys for rent at Little Munchkins Toy Hire. They stock ride-on toys, cubby houses and other larger toys that most people cannot quite afford.

Then if you love checking out markets, you are sure to find a selection of unique, handmade toys of all kinds - from soft toys to wooden toys - at many of them.

You might think it is easy to buy toys in Brisbane or any other city. All you do is go to your local shopping mall. That’s right, if you are not particularly interested in quality toys, you can pick them up for little cost almost anywhere. But after a few days play, those toys will probably be worn out or broken. They’ll be tossed into the bin, leaving behind a child who is extremely disappointed.

The discerning shopper may prefer to buy a quality toy that will last for years - one that will bring a great deal of pleasure and give value for money. Rather like those old toys of yesteryear did. So where do you go for quality toys?

If you live near Enoggera or Indooroopilly you can check out K and K Creative Toys, who stock toys, books, games and other gift items that are unusual, different and worthwhile. These kinds of toys are of good quality – the kind that you used to be able to buy years ago, but that most people thought were now not available.

Bulk Lot Baby toys: Fisher Price, Tiny Love Activity Ba

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AU $10.00

2d 18h 45m

bulk lot of toys, fisher price, sesame street and more

2 Bids

AU $3.25

23h 52m

Bulk lot baby Fisher Price toys including cot activity

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AU $15.00

3d 20h 7m

bulk baby toys - fisher price , bright stars and more !

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AU $.99

1d 22h 54m

BULK LOT OF ACTIVITY TOYS (0-12 MNTS) FISHER PRICE ETC

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AU $8.00

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If you are buying for a little girl, you may be advised to visit House and Doll at Bulimba. As the name suggests, they actually specialise in dolls houses, but these are unique for their amazing detail. They also go in for exquisite miniatures of all kinds from Christmas decorations to easels, as well as the more traditional children’s gifts of games, wooden toys and dressing up costumes. Many local craftspeople find a retail outlet for their handmade gifts in this shop, so it is well worth the time spent looking around. To make it easier, they also have an online store.

Presents of Mind – don’t you love that name – at given Terrace Paddington, stock games and puzzles that will call for presence of mind to solve, so for those who like their presents to be mentally stimulating and challenging this is the place to go. Once you go here you may find that looking anywhere else is unnecessary.

For other mind games such as jigsaw puzzles and more try – you guessed it – Mind Games located at the Myer Centre in Brisbane’s CBD. They also have games for adults.

If your feet are starting to hurt just thinking about all that shopping you need to do, why not make life a little easier and shop online? You can still access a specialty toy store that has toys for children up to the age of eight and that is Ages and Stages at Mount Gravatt.

So with all that choice you are sure to find just the right gifts for all the kids and big kids in your life.

Antique works of art have a timeless appeal and may be just what you need for that unique and special gift, or even to decorate your own home. While many antique shops may have pictures painted in a long-ago era which are simply beautiful, for something that is different why not try the Antique Print and Map Company on Camford Square, Milton? It is part of the Art Emporium Showrooms there.

An antique map - while no use these days for showing where to go – will be an incredibly decorative feature for your wall that not many other works of art could compare with. Take it to be framed in a way that will match its timeless elegance, then hang it on the wall and see what a talking point it will become. You could also place it under the glass of a coffee table.

Antique engravings and lithographs can also be found at this antique outlet. Where else could you find hand-coloured lithographs of Australian birds done by John Gould? While many of their products are originals, some prints are available.

And for booklovers – those who really love first editions that is, a trip to Archives Fine Books at 40 Charlotte St, Brisbane would not be amiss. Here you’ll find an amazing collection of fine books that are sure to please the booklover in the family, especially if they are into collectables. Mind you, these would not be suitable as books for the children.

3 Antique Fashion Books Georgian Victorian Edwardian CD

AU $4.95

16h 33m

Antique Fashion Books Georgian Victorian Edwardian CD

AU $4.97

10d 11h 42m

Antique Victorian 1880 Cedar Loo Flip Table with Skirt

7 Bids

AU $153.50

21h 31m

Antique Victorian Gold GF Starburst Rhinestone Locket

9 Bids

AU $46.00

1d 20h 11m

WIDE Antique Victorian Rose Gold GF Mesh Necklace Chain

AU $499.99

21h 32m

Or for west-enders, Bent Books could be the place to go. It is easy to find; just watch out for that red and yellow striped awning over a sky blue front. They don’t mind if you browse for hours and while you are there take a peek at those rare first editions on the top shelf. They also have some wonderful second-hand hardcover art books and other used classics.

For those who want to sell or exchange books, you could try out The Book Shack in Sandgate, Brisbane. They buy and sell quality used books of various kinds. Or for a quaint experience go to Charing Cross Books located at 631 Ipswich Rd, Annerley to see an old house brim full of books, some of which are special edition and are a couple of centuries old.

Last but not least if you are looking for an old book or one that is now out of print you could find it at Clarence Corner Bookshop in Woolloongabba.