Hello All
Grimnar Sadly Seldom is correct with this one. It is an Urban legend be it a fairly old one.It is one of the most popular of Australian treasure legends but it is a total myth.
Where there is hint of treasure there is opportunists nearby wanting to prey on the gullible.
The fact of the matter there is no historical evidence to support this story at all.In fact there is not evidence that Benito existed at all.
Mary Welch read about a Cocos Island in a Californian Newspaper while she was a ticket of leave convict in Hobart Tasmania. That Californian Expedition raised enormous amounts of money. Mary and her Husband Captain John Welch tried their scam in Australia about her being lover or some versions the daughter of Benito Bonito. Who allegedly buried treasure in cave at Queenscliff. It was for them a easy way to scam money out of people.
There was no takers at the time in Australia, so she and her husband went to California to milk investors out money by changing the story to Cocos and claiming to be a guide to treasure buried on Cocos Island. This went on for years. A cash cow to cheat wide eyed investors out of their money.
But the ghost of her original version of story about Benitio burying treasure in cave in Queenscliff lingered on into local folk lore. Enough for other dubious characters to cash into well up to the early 1930 duping cashed up farm boys out of their money.
It is what we called the Shysters of the treasure hunting game because it does untold damage to people seeking funding for a genuine search for treasure.
That said It was a story I could not promote some thing that was clearly myth.
There is other pirate stories connected to Australia however have more element in truth to them almost unknown to Australians.
Hardluck.
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