The Perth ferry on the Swan River, or a cruise?

Perth's public ferry does a single, simple job. It crosses Perth Water between Elizabeth Quay in the city and Mends Street Jetty in South Perth, a hop of about 10 minutes, with boats leaving every 15 to 30 minutes, early till late, on all days of the week.¹ Transperth describes the same crossing as taking around 10 minutes.⁴ It is part of the city's ordinary bus, train and ferry network, and the same fares apply as on the buses.⁵

For a visitor the ferry is less about transport than about the view. From the middle of the water the city skyline lines up behind you, Kings Park rises to the west and the jetties of Barrack Square sit to the right of the quay. Visit Perth sells the crossing as a cheap, cheerful way to fold a family zoo day into the trip.⁶ Tourism Western Australia suggests it for a lazy lunch on the South Perth side.⁷

Bikes are easy: your bike can ride on your ticket at no extra cost.⁸ That opens a pleasant loop for cyclists, with a ride along the city side of the river, the ferry across, and the South Perth foreshore on the other bank. Families with prams will find the hop short and calm, and the jetties at each end are right on the waterfront paths, which keeps the walking to a minimum for small legs.

The Transperth ferry links Elizabeth Quay and Mends Street Jetty, and the crossing between them is the trip.¹ It does not carry you down the river to Fremantle or up it to the Swan Valley. For the port, the public option is the train: City West, McIver and Claisebrook stations connect the city with the historic port town of Fremantle.¹⁶ The river route between the two cities is the business of the cruise boats and the Rottnest ferries.

Rottnest ferries leave regularly from Barrack Street Jetty and follow the Swan River all the way out to the Indian Ocean.¹⁷ Visit Perth puts the run from the city to the island at just 90 minutes.¹⁵ That makes the island ferry a river trip of its own for the first part of the day, though it is priced and timed as transport to Rottnest, not as a sightseeing cruise. Rottnest Express says its departures from Perth include a Swan River cruise with guided commentary.¹⁸

More public ferries may come. The state government has funded an AUD 2 million feasibility study into expanding ferry services on the Swan River, alongside an AUD 18.7 million replacement of Barrack Street Jetty One.^19,20 Construction of the new jetty was set to begin in 2025-26.²¹ Until new routes are announced, treat the Elizabeth Quay to South Perth hop as the whole public ferry network for a visitor.

With an hour to spare, take the ferry across and back. The crossing is about 10 minutes each way and the boats come every 15 to 30 minutes, which leaves time for a coffee on the South Perth side and the classic photo of the city from the far bank.¹ Train rides to Elizabeth Quay station cost nothing inside the central zone, which makes it an easy place to start from anywhere in the centre.²²

With a morning, add Perth Zoo. Visit Perth suggests the ferry as a cheap and fun way to make the zoo part of a family day, and the zoo is on the South Perth side of the water.⁶ Back in the city by lunchtime, you can walk the waterfront of Elizabeth Quay, where the island playground keeps children busy while the adults look at the boats.²³ It is a gentle half day that never needs a car, a booking or a long walk.

With a full day, use the ferry and one of the boat tours in Perth together. Take a one-way cruise down to Fremantle in the morning, spend the afternoon in the port town and ride the train back to the city.¹⁶ Or reverse it and do the round trip from the city with lunch ashore afterwards. On a Sunday the train leg is free with a contactless card, which turns a cruise day into a cheap one.³ Check the cruise times first and plan the rest of the day to suit.