Cossack
Cossack's immaculately restored bluestone buildings offer a rare insight into the area's past.
Originally known as Tien Tsin after the barque that landed Walter Padbury, his party and his stock at the mouth of the Harding River, Cossack was vital to the early development of the North West. Cossack was the original port of pearls before the luggers moved north to Broome in 1886, an early hub for gold prospectors in the region, and a port for pastoralists in the Pilbara.
Following the opening of Point Samson jetty, the town was dissolved in 1910 and abandoned by 1950. The beautifully restored bluestone buildings in the ghost town of Cossack are testament to this small town’s huge importance in 1880’s and 1890’s and offer a fantastic insight to the hardships and successes of the first settlers.
Follow the Cossack Heritage Trail, including the Tien Tsin lookout for beautiful views across the Indian Ocean, the European and Asian Cemetery and the Courthouse, now the Cossack Museum. Download the Cossack Heritage Trail brochure.
Drive the Emma Withnell Heritage Trail, a 52 kilometre drive route including Roebourne and Cossack that commemorates the 'first lady of the Pilbara'.
Enjoy a lunch at the café in the restored Customs Building.
Bring your own kayak and fishing gear for some great fishing opportunities from the shore and water, or just enjoy a stroll along Settlers Beach.
Head to the Lookout at Settler's Beach for Staircase to the Moon in this beautifully restored ghost town.
5 kilometres from Point Samson, accessed via the Roebourne/Point Samson Road and Cossack Road.
50 kilometres from Karratha. Travelling north from Karratha on the North West Coastal Highway, turn left onto the Roebourne/Point Samson Road and then right onto Cossack Road.
The Old Police Barracks offers budget accommodation.
The Cossack Art Award is the nation's richest regional art prize. The exhibition usually runs around mid-July to August (you can check the North West event calendar here) and the hundreds of entries are scattered throughout several buildings during the exhibition.
