National Carillon, Bell tower in Canberra, Australia

The National Carillon is a 50 m tower of light grey stone-clad concrete on Queen Elizabeth II Island in Lake Burley Griffin, Canberra. Its three vertical columns, symbolising the British and Australian governments and the City of Canberra, rise beside tall vertical window panels and a projecting ledge. It houses 57 bells, from a 6,108 kg bass in F# to an 8 kg treble in D.

The carillon was a gift from the British government marking the 50th anniversary of Canberra as national capital. A limited competition between three Australian and three British architects, judged by Lord Holford, Sir Donald Gibson and Sir John Overall, was won by the Western Australian firm Cameron Chisholm Nicol. Designed in 1967, built in 1969 and completed in 1970, it was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on 26 April 1970. In 2019 John Taylor & Co added a lowest semitone bell, the Ngunnawal bell, and a new lightest bell.

The carillon chimes every quarter-hour and plays a short tune on the hour, its quarter-hourly chimes modelled on Big Ben. Recitals are given on many days, and a carol recital is usually held at dusk on Christmas Eve. The inaugural recital was played by John Douglas Gordon, after whom the island footbridge is named.

The tower stands on Queen Elizabeth II Island (formerly Aspen Island), reached by a footbridge from the lake's northern shore, where a car park sits at the bridge entrance. The island is about 250 m long and 80 m wide. The bells are heard best within 100 m of the building, though they carry to the Parliamentary Triangle, Kingston and Civic.

The carillon's quarter-hour chimes echo Big Ben at London's Houses of Parliament. The adjacent National Workers Memorial was built so that visitors would hear the bells while remembering loved ones. The inaugural recital was played by John Douglas Gordon, after whom the footbridge to the island is named.