The Swan Bells tower rises from the Elizabeth Quay waterfront, a striking copper-and-glass structure that houses 82 bells — the largest musical instrument of its type in the world. The tower is designed to look like a ship's sail, though interpretations vary. What is certain is that it is visually distinctive against the river backdrop, and the bells themselves are the genuine article: the twelve historic bells from St Martin-in-the-Fields in London are centuries old and ring with an authority that you feel in your chest when you are standing close.
Bell-ringing demonstrations happen several times a week (check the schedule before you visit), and the viewing platform gives good views over the Swan River and Elizabeth Quay. The tower is a short walk from the Barrack Street Jetty, where ferries leave for South Perth and the occasional cruise boat departs upstream. It is not a long visit — an hour is plenty — but it is one of those Perth attractions that rewards actually going inside rather than simply photographing from the outside. The mechanism by which the bells are rung is genuinely interesting, and the history of how they came to be in Western Australia is a good story about two countries finding an occasion to mark their shared history.