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 concept initially came from an architect Mr Don Ho working in Cameron Chisholm Nicol in 1968.