Perth trades on light. The Indian Ocean sunsets are among the cleanest in the country, the Swan River carries the city, and within a couple of hours you reach the Pinnacles desert and the white sand of Rottnest. For a cinematographer it is a city of long golden evenings and hard, bright days that reward planning around the clock.
Whether you are producing a Perth shoot, scouting coverage, or a Perth cinematographer checking access before a recce, work through the location guide below, then read the permit notes. I travel to Perth and Western Australia for shoots and plan around the ocean light and the distances.
The complete Perth filming location guide
Here is the full guide. Tap Map to open the spot in Google Maps, or Footage to see example videos. Locations marked with a ★ are the standout, camera-ready vantage points.
| Location | Best time | Filming tips | Links |
|---|---|---|---|
 ★ Kings Park & Botanic Garden | Sunrise | The city skyline framed over the Swan River from the escarpment, with bushland foreground. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 ★ Cottesloe Beach | Sunset | The signature Perth sunset over the Indian Ocean, with the pylon and Norfolk pines; the light drops fast. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 Elizabeth Quay & the Swan River | Blue hour | The modern waterfront against the CBD; the pedestrian bridge for a lead line into the city. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 Fremantle | Afternoon | Heritage port town — the Round House, wool stores, harbour and Prison; limestone suits hard afternoon light. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 ★ Rottnest Island | Midday | A ferry across for turquoise bays, quokkas and low heath; plan around the ferry times. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 ★ The Pinnacles, Nambung National Park | Sunrise / sunset | Roughly two hours north: thousands of limestone spires in yellow sand; long shadows rake the field. Park licence applies. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 Scarborough Beach | Late afternoon | A broad, modern beachfront for lifestyle and surf coverage, with the pool and skyline behind. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 Swan Valley & Bells Rapids | Morning | Vineyards and river country half an hour out, with the rapids running in winter and spring. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 Wave Rock | Golden hour | For a signature inland image, the granite wave near Hyden — a longer trip east, but a genuinely unique frame. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 ★ Fremantle Prison | Daytime | World Heritage convict-built limestone, cell ranges and yards. A strong period and institutional interior; site booking required. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 ★ Lancelin Sand Dunes | Golden hour | White dunes running to the sea two hours north. Late light rakes the ridges and the sand reads almost like snow. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 Penguin Island | Midday | A short ferry to clear water, little penguins and a sea-lion colony. Access is seasonal, so check closures first. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 Serpentine Falls | Morning | Granite slabs and a falls pool an hour south, with kangaroos in the picnic flats. DBCA licence applies. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 ★ South Perth Foreshore | Blue hour | The postcard Perth skyline across the Swan, with the towers mirrored in the water at dusk. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 Hillarys Boat Harbour | Golden hour | Sheltered marina and a swimming beach with boats for foreground. Easy access and parking for a crew. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 Trigg & Mettams Pool | Sunset | Limestone reef with clear pools for water work, and a rockier coastline than the southern beaches. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 Yanchep National Park | Morning | Koalas on the boardwalk, limestone caves and a lake an hour north. A compact wildlife and bush unit. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 Perth Hills & Mundaring Weir | Morning | Jarrah forest, the weir wall and long valley views forty minutes east. Cooler and greener than the coast. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
 Margaret River Region | Golden hour | Three hours south for surf breaks, caves, karri forest and vineyards. Worth a dedicated unit rather than a day trip. | 📍 Map▶ Footage |
Planning your Perth shoot
A Perth shoot usually crosses two systems. The relevant local council covers city streets, malls and reserves, and there are several of them across the metropolitan area. The Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions covers the national parks, marine parks and much of the coast and bushland under the CALM Act, which is where the Pinnacles, Yanchep, Serpentine Falls and Penguin Island sit.
DBCA parks, coast and marine parks
DBCA charges a non-refundable licence application fee of $50, and access charges on top of that. The charges are set by the time you need and whether you are shooting stills or motion. Where a job involves both, only the motion rates apply.
| Access | Stills photography | Motion filming |
|---|---|---|
| Half day (five-hour period) | $137.50 | $550 |
| Full day | $275.00 | $770 |
| Three or more days | $1,100 | $1,100 |
DBCA can negotiate a higher charge on larger productions, taking into account the scale of the job, how much supervision and staff expertise it needs, and the location. You must hold public liability cover of not less than AU$10 million per event for the whole licence period, provide evidence of the policy at application, and sign an acknowledgement of indemnity by deed poll. Apply through DBCA.
Local councils
City streets, malls and reserves fall to the council that manages them, and the metropolitan area is split across many. The City of Perth covers the centre, while Fremantle, Stirling for Trigg and Scarborough, Joondalup for Hillarys and Rockingham for Penguin Island each run their own process. Confirm which authority holds your specific location before you build the day, because a coastal run can cross two or three. Start with the City of Perth for the CBD.
Screenwest
Screenwest is the state agency, covering production support, location advice and crew contacts. Useful early on anything heading south to Margaret River or north to the Pinnacles, where the distances do the damage to a schedule.
Fees and lead times change each year. Confirm current amounts with each authority before you lock a schedule. All figures above checked against the authorities’ own published schedules on 28 July 2026.
Common questions about filming in Perth
Do you need a permit to film in Perth?
It depends on whose land you are standing on. Commercial filming on land managed by the Department of Biodiversity, Conservation and Attractions, which covers national parks, marine parks and other CALM Act land, needs a filming licence from the department. Streets and public places sit with the relevant council. The City of Perth covers the CBD, while Fremantle, Stirling for Trigg and Scarborough, Joondalup for Hillarys and Rockingham for Penguin Island each administer their own areas, so a single day that moves between them can need more than one approval.
How much does a filming permit cost in Perth?
On department-managed land there is a non-refundable $50 licence application fee on top of access charges. Access is charged at $137.50 for stills or $550 for motion over a half day, meaning a five-hour period, $275 or $770 for a full day, and $1,100 either way for three days or more. Where a job covers both stills and motion, only the motion charges apply. The department may negotiate a higher charge for larger productions depending on scale, supervision and location. Perth metropolitan councils do not publish a single consolidated schedule, so ask the relevant council for a quote. Confirm current figures before you budget.
What insurance do you need to film in Perth?
For a department filming licence you need public liability cover of not less than AU$10 million per event, maintained for the whole period of the filming authority rather than just the shoot days. Evidence is supplied with the application, and an acknowledgement of indemnity by deed poll has to be signed as well. Council requirements are set separately, so check the figure each one wants before you rely on a single certificate of currency.
Can you fly a drone for filming in Perth?
Only with the right credentials and the land manager behind it. Commercial drone work anywhere in Australia needs a CASA remote pilot licence and an operator certificate, and CASA standard operating conditions still apply over built-up areas. Approval to fly is separate from your pilot credentials, so the department for park land, or the relevant council for streets and public places, has to agree to the flight as part of the approval. Settle that in prep rather than on the day.
Filming guides for other Australian cities
Planning a shoot elsewhere in Australia? See the filming location and permit guides for Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide and Hobart.