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Travelling Around Perth With a Dog
🇦🇺Perth, Australia·Updated 1 August 2026
Perth is the one major Australian city where public transport is simply not an option with a pet. Transperth states plainly that no animals other than approved assistance dogs are allowed on any of its services or facilities, and that ban covers trains, buses and the Swan River ferries, with no carrier exemption of the kind Sydney or Melbourne allow. In practice that makes a car the backbone of a dog trip here, supported by Uber Pet, which operates in Perth, and by a handful of dedicated pet taxi operators. None of this is a real obstacle, because Perth is a low density, car shaped city where the dog beaches, the bush parks and the Fremantle terraces all come with parking, but it does mean you should plan the car before you plan the itinerary.
| Mode | Policy | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Transperth trains, buses and ferries | Pets are not allowed on any Transperth service or facility, not in a carrier and not at any hour. The only exception is an approved assistance dog trained by a recognised organisation such as Guide Dogs WA, VisAbility, Seeing Eye Dogs Australia, Lions Hearing Dogs or Assistance Dogs Australia, or approved by the state department. The dog must wear a marked coat or harness at all times and the handler must carry its photo identification; the dog travels free but the handler pays the normal fare. Assistance dogs approved under another Australian state's law are accepted on the same conditions. | 💡 Do not plan a day that depends on the train to Fremantle or the ferry to South Perth. Work out the parking first: Fremantle has large paid car parks near the harbour, and most beach reserves have free parking that fills by nine on a summer weekend. |
| Uber Pet and taxis | Uber Pet is available in Perth. It allows one pet per trip, applies no breed or size restriction, and adds a small pet surcharge on top of the standard fare. Ordinary taxis and standard rideshare rides are at the driver's discretion: many will take a small dog in a carrier or a clean crate, but a refusal at the kerb is legal and common, so it is not something to rely on at midnight. | 💡 Bring a towel or a fitted seat cover and put it down before the dog gets in. Drivers who see it accept far more readily, and Perth dogs arrive covered in beach sand almost by definition. |
| Dedicated pet transport | Perth has several door to door pet transport operators, such as Perth Pet Taxi, running air conditioned vehicles with secured crates or harnesses. They are used mainly for vet, grooming and daycare runs, are booked in advance and priced per trip rather than per kilometre in the taxi sense. For a visitor they are the sensible answer to an airport transfer or a one off trip to an emergency clinic without a hire car. | 💡 Book the day before if you can. These are small operators with two or three vehicles, and Friday afternoons and Monday mornings are their busiest slots. |
| Domestic flights to and from Perth | Dogs and cats fly domestically in the hold, handled by the airlines' freight divisions rather than checked in with you at the passenger terminal. Qantas Freight and Virgin Australia Cargo both serve Perth. Book the animal's flight before your own, because only certain aircraft and services carry animals, and allow generous connection time: Qantas asks for around two hours to transfer an animal between aircraft in Perth. On arrival, pets are usually ready for collection about an hour after landing and must be picked up within three hours. | 💡 Perth is the most isolated big city in the world and the eastern states are four to five hours away by air, so a Perth to Sydney flight is a long time in a crate. Book a morning departure in summer: freight will refuse animals when tarmac temperatures are extreme. |
Arriving in Perth from abroad
You cannot fly a dog or a cat into Perth directly from another country. Australia runs a single government post entry quarantine facility for cats and dogs, at Mickleham near Melbourne, and every imported pet must land at Melbourne Airport, from where department staff take it straight to quarantine. Domestic transfers from another Australian airport on arrival are not permitted, so the sequence is always the same: fly the animal to Melbourne, complete the minimum ten day quarantine period, then take a domestic flight west to Perth once it is released. Perth Airport itself sits about 12 km east of the city, and animals arriving on domestic flights are collected from the freight terminal rather than the passenger baggage hall.
Driving and parking with a dog
Since public transport is closed to pets, a hire car is effectively part of the itinerary. Western Australian road rules require an animal to be restrained so that it does not interfere with the driver, and a dog travelling in the open tray of a ute must be tethered; a harness clipped to a seatbelt anchor or a crate in the boot is the normal solution. Distances are large by European standards: Fremantle is about 20 km from the CBD, City Beach 12 km, the Swan Valley 25 km and the Hillarys dog beach around 25 km north. The single most important rule is the one that gets visitors into trouble every summer: never leave a dog in a parked car in Perth, not for five minutes and not with the windows cracked, because a car interior here can pass 50 degrees within minutes of being switched off.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I take my dog on a Transperth train or bus?
No. Transperth allows no animals other than approved assistance dogs on any of its services or facilities, and there is no exemption for pets in a carrier. Plan on a car, Uber Pet or a pet taxi instead.
Is Uber Pet available in Perth?
Yes. One pet per trip, no breed or size restriction, and a small pet surcharge on top of the fare. Bring a towel for the seat and message the driver when the trip is accepted.
Can my dog fly into Perth from Europe?
Not directly. Every cat and dog imported into Australia must arrive at Melbourne Airport and go to the Mickleham quarantine facility for at least ten days. Only after release can the animal take a domestic flight on to Perth.
Pet-Friendly Hotels in Perth
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Hyde Perth
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