Cossack

Cossack was the first port in the Pilbara, founded in 1863 and the base for a pearling fleet that worked this coast before the industry moved to Broome, with a population that included Japanese, Chinese, Malay and Aboriginal divers and workers. Silting of the harbour, cyclones and the rise of other ports emptied it, and by the 1950s it was abandoned. The stone buildings that remain, courthouse, post office, police barracks, bond store and school, were built of local stone in the 1890s and have been restored, standing in a landscape of mangroves and tidal flats with no permanent residents. The old cemetery holds separate sections reflecting the port's mixed workforce.

What you actually see

• The stone buildings - restored 1890s courthouse, post office and bond store.
• The empty townsite - a settlement with no residents on the tidal coast.
• The cemetery - separate burial areas reflecting the pearling workforce.
• The mangrove coast - tidal flats and creeks around the old port.

When to go

April to September; summer is extremely hot and humid with cyclone risk. Buildings keep limited opening hours and some are accessible only from outside. Early morning is best for light and heat.

Honest expectations

There is nothing operating here beyond a small museum and occasional café; accommodation and food are at Point Samson or Roebourne. Summer heat is severe with no shade. Sandflies on the tidal flats are a nuisance.

Nearby

Point Samson and Roebourne are close; Karratha lies west.