Rising 82.5 metres in copper and glass beside the Swan River, the Bell Tower at Barrack Square is one of Perth's most recognisable landmarks. It was built as Western Australia's millennium project and handed over to the public in December 2000, designed by the local architects Hames Sharley. The tower exists to house the Swan Bells, a ring of eighteen change-ringing bells. Twelve of them came from the church of St Martin-in-the-Fields, beside Trafalgar Square in London, and are recorded as existing from before the fourteenth century, recast over the centuries by royal order. They are among the few sets of royal bells and the only ones known to have left England. The bells were given to Western Australia to mark Australia's bicentenary in 1988, with mining companies donating the metal to cast a replacement peal for the London church in return. Six further bells were cast at the historic Whitechapel foundry in London to complete the ring of eighteen, which together weigh around nine tonnes. The forces they exert when rung meant the bell chamber had to be built from reinforced concrete to give it the necessary rigidity. Visitors can watch the ringers at work from behind glass, see and hear other bells on display, and climb to an observation level that gives wide views over the river and the city skyline. A six-tonne Anzac Bell was added in 2019. The building was controversial when it was proposed, criticised for its cost and its modern shape, but it has since become a fixture of the riverfront and a draw for visitors and bell-ringing enthusiasts alike. The surrounding Barrack Square has been redeveloped with reflecting pools, a boardwalk, cafes, shops and walking and cycling paths, tying the tower into the wider foreshore and the nearby Elizabeth Quay precinct. Some visitors feel the entry price is steep for a fairly short visit, but the combination of centuries-old bells in a striking modern tower gives it a character unlike anything else on the Perth waterfront.

Type: Tourist Attraction

Address: Barrack Square, Riverside Drive, Perth, Australia, 6000

Website: https://www.thebelltower.com.au

Opening Date: 10/12/2000