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 50 metre tall National Carillon tower was designed by Western Australian architects Cameron, Chisholm & Nicol.

The monument to the right of the photo is the American War Memorial. It dates back to the 1950s. This important Canberra landmark was built to commemorate how America helped Australia in the second-world war.