in 1866 the town of roebourne was declared, and the pearling industry began in the region. cossack was the birthplace of western australia's pearling industry and was the home of the colony's pearling fleet until the 1880s. many small boats off the port walcott coast dived for pearl shell during the 1860s using aboriginal labour, including women and children. by early 1869, there were 14 small vessels pearling in the area, with an average crew of three europeans and six aboriginals. by the early 1870s up to 80 luggers were operating in the area. the pearling industry also attracted a large asian population. by 1895, there were 989 malays and 493 aboriginals employed on 57 vessels at cossack. the high number of asians in the industry, including japanese and chinese as well as malay, led to the establishment of an asian quarter known as ?chinatown?.
