Tourist facilities in historic Pilbara town of Cossack closed as dispute with WA government deepens

Cossack holds great significance for the region’s traditional owners and WA’s early colonial history. (ABC Pilbara: Amelia Searson)

Traditional owners overseeing the revival of a popular heritage town in Western Australia’s north west say it could become a “ghost town” again, accusing the state government of losing interest in the project.

The Ngarluma-Yindjibarndi Foundation (NYFL) has been trying to turn the abandoned town of Cossack, 1,566km north of Perth, into a tourism hotspot for the past four years.

But it says the Cook government has walked away and will not be offering them legal permissions or a contract to keep managing the town.

Cossack is a significant site for the Ngarluma people, who are the traditional owners of the land.

As the first pearling harbour in the country’s north west in the late 19th century, it is also an important part of Australia’s colonial history.

In recent years, it has also hosted the popular Cossack Art Awards.

Now, the town’s museum and gift shop have been closed along with its campsites, as the dispute deepens.

Economic and cultural loss ‘devastating’

In a detailed statement released yesterday, NYFL said it was devastated and blamed the situation on “a series of bureaucratic bungles and broken promises” by the state government.

“NYFL’s vision for Cossack offered huge potential for the area as an eco-tourism destination,” the statement read.

“But over the four years that NYLF has managed the site, the [Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage] repeatedly delayed contracts and licenses so that NYFL was often without any guarantee of being paid for its services.”

The foundation said uncertainty over the site’s future had thwarted several tourism opportunities.

“Including [with] Tourism WA, which was investigating establishing a camping with custodians campground that could have been operational in 2025,” the statement reads.

Cossack facing ‘grim’ future

NYFL said they were recently told “there is insufficient interest” within the Department of Planning, Lands, and Heritage to partner with them going forward.

NYFL chief executive Sean-Paul Stephens said the town’s future looked grim.

“Cossack will be closed for the foreseeable future,” Mr Stephens said.

“We are disappointed and frustrated to be leaving Cossack but our dealings with the state government have reached breaking point.”

The WA Department of Planning, Lands and Heritage have been approached for comment.