Visitors to Perth these days see the Bell Tower on the city side of the Swan River foreshore and simply see an interesting tourist attraction. In fact, the Bell Tower is one of the newest additions to the Perth tourist trail, and has an interesting background.

Inside the Bell Tower, you can find the eighteen Swan Bells, and that's where the historical interest really begins. Twelve of these bells were actually originally found in Trafalgar Square in London, in the St Martin in the Fields Church. Unlike most man-made monuments in Australia, that means that these bells have a history dating back to the 1300s. When Australia celebrated its 200th birthday in 1988, Britain donated these bells to Western Australia as a gift. The extra six bells were made new from metal mined in Western Australia, but the funding for them also came as a gift, mostly from the Cities of London and Westminster in England.

These days, locals and tourists can visit the Swan Bell Tower and if your timing is good, you'll be able to watch the volunteer bell-ringers play these bells, too. They ring most days at around midday and then at other times for special occasions - listen out if you're anywhere on the Perth foreshore.