Opened 26 April 1970 | Phone +61 2 6257 1068 | |
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Address Wendouree Dr, Parkes ACT 2600, Australia Hours Open today ยท Open 24 hoursTuesdayOpen 24 hoursWednesdayOpen 24 hoursThursdayOpen 24 hoursFridayOpen 24 hoursSaturdayOpen 24 hoursSundayOpen 24 hoursMondayOpen 24 hoursSuggest an edit Similar Aspen Island, Lake Burley Griffin, Captain James Cook Me, Commonwealth Park, Telstra Tower | ||
Waltzing matilda on national carillon at canberra
The National Carillon, situated on Aspen Island in central Canberra, Australia is a large carillon managed and maintained by the National Capital Authority on behalf of the Commonwealth of Australia.
Contents
The national carillon in 4k
History
The carillon was a gift from the British government to the people of Australia to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the national capital, Canberra. Queen Elizabeth II officially opened the National Carillon on 26 April 1970. The tower, standing 50 metres (160 ft) tall, was designed by Cameron Chisholm Nicol, a firm based in Western Australia. The concept was developed by Don Ho, one of the firm's architects, in 1968. In 2004, the carillon underwent refurbishment, including renovations of interior function facilities and the addition of two extra bells.
Characteristics
Carillons must have at least 23 bells to be considered as such, and the National Carillon has 55 (increased from 53 during refurbishments in 2003). Each bell weighs between seven kilograms and six tonnes. The bells span four and a half octaves chromatically.
The carillon features moderate-size function facilities for small gatherings offering wonderful views over Lake Burley Griffin and central Canberra.
The carillon is in regular use, chiming every quarter-hour and playing a short tune on the hour along with tours and recitals on many days. For example, there is usually a recital of carols on Christmas Eve each year with music being played for around an hour at dusk. The best place to listen to the carillon is suggested to be within 100 metres of the building though the sound can usually be heard much further away in the Parliamentary Triangle, Kingston and Civic.
Links to memorials
The adjacent National Workers Memorial was constructed with the idea that people attending would hear the sound of bells from the carillon, which would assist them in remembering their loved ones.