Why the border cares
Pests, diseases and weeds can travel between parts of Australia in fruit and vegetables, plants and plant products, animals and animal products, soil, farm machinery and other equipment, and recreational gear. A household move carries a little of most of those: the fruit bowl, the pot plants on the verandah, the mower, the boots by the back door.
There are also biosecurity or quarantine zones inside each state and territory, so a move within one state can meet restrictions too.
What three states’ pages say
Western Australia, Tasmania and Queensland each publish what can and can’t come in. Below is what each page said on the day this guide was checked, in its own terms.
| Item | What the state’s own page says | Page |
|---|---|---|
| Into WA: your personal effects | Complete a Declaration for movement of personal goods into WA with your removals company, and ask the company to supply the freight container details and lodge the form for you. Expect some delays, and inspection fees and charges may apply. | What can I bring into WA? |
| Into WA: fresh fruit and vegetables | A short list is permitted if free of sprouting green growth, soil, pests and disease, among them pineapple, carrot, peeled onions and peeled garlic. Hard frozen fruit and vegetables are permitted, other than grapes, mango with seed, fruit from the Myrtaceae family, and unpeeled garlic, onions or potatoes. | What can I bring into WA? |
| Into WA: honey | Not allowed in without certification on a Health Certificate. A permit is needed for bees, hive products and used equipment, which are otherwise prohibited. | What can I bring into WA? |
| Into WA: garden equipment, shoes and outdoor gear | Mowers and catchers, whipper snippers, blower vacuums and mulchers presented for inspection at the border may be verified free of plant material and insects. Items normally used outdoors should be free of soil, and it is best to clean them thoroughly before entering WA. | What can I bring into WA? |
| Into WA: wood and firewood | Processed wood and timber products without bark are permitted. Firewood is permitted if clean and free of bark, soil and unknown plant material. | What can I bring into WA? |
| Into Tasmania: fresh fruit and vegetables | Not permitted, including potatoes, fresh herbs, garlic, ginger and onion. Allowed if cooked, baked, hard frozen, canned, preserved or commercially dried. | Food |
| Into Tasmania: mowers, garden tools, pots, fridges, footwear | Allowed once washed clean of soil, seeds, plant material, food and any other debris; refused if contaminated. Equipment not adequately cleaned will need treatment at the owner’s expense. | Household items |
| Into Tasmania: pot plants | Household pot plants count as nursery stock. A Notice of Intention to Import should be submitted 24 hours before arrival, and inspection is required. | Plants and plant products |
| Into Tasmania: used beekeeping equipment | Not permitted. Only brand new, unused apiary equipment is allowed. | Household items |
| Into Queensland from WA: pine timber items | Restrictions apply to pine plants of four genera and to pine timber items, including furniture, lumber and packaging, to help prevent the spread of European house borer. | Moving items into Queensland |
| Into Queensland: grape plants and soil | Restrictions apply to grape plants, products of a grape plant (the page names wine and table grapes), soil associated with grape plants and machinery used in their production, to help prevent grape phylloxera. The page points to the Queensland biosecurity manual for the detail. | Moving items into Queensland |
Queensland’s page adds that, generally, moving restricted items into Queensland needs a biosecurity certificate. To apply for one, it says to contact the agriculture or primary industries department in your state or territory, and that fees may apply.
The tables leave out more than they include. WA’s page also covers nuts, seeds, seafood, dried herbs and flowers, and Tasmania’s covers meat, honey, seafood and processed food. Read the full page for anything you are unsure of.
Leaving a fire ant zone in Queensland
This one applies on the way out. Queensland’s page says that if you move materials that may carry fire ants, within or outside the fire ant biosecurity zones, you must take all reasonable steps not to spread the pest. Soil is a high-risk material, and you need a biosecurity instrument permit to move soil from a property inside the zones to one outside them.
Crossing on the Spirit of Tasmania
Biosecurity Tasmania says you can bring food to eat on board, but you must dispose of it in the bins on board or at the biosecurity inspection point when leaving the terminal.
The other states and territories
New South Wales, the ACT, Victoria, South Australia and the Northern Territory have their own rules and their own zones. They vary, so check the page for the place you are going:
- New South Wales and the ACT, which the interstate quarantine site groups together for its zones: NSW biosecurity
- Victoria: Agriculture Victoria biosecurity
- South Australia: PIRSA biosecurity
- Northern Territory: Food crops, plants and quarantine
- Zones in every state, in one place: Australian Interstate Quarantine: quarantine zones
At the border: eat it or bin it
Eat it or bin it
Arriving at a border with produce that is not allowed across, the Australian Interstate Quarantine site’s advice is to eat it or bin it. Quarantine bins stand at state and quarantine zone borders, ferry terminals and domestic airports, and restricted products must be thrown out there. Taking prohibited items over a border can bring an on-the-spot fine.
To check before you go, the same site offers a downloadable traveller’s guide, a map search, and a Freecall line, 1800 084 881, during business hours Monday to Friday. Western Australia’s page gives Quarantine WA’s number as +61 (0)8 9334 1800, and Biosecurity Tasmania’s page gives 1300 368 550.