Bookable
An Apollonaut travel guide
Where the city meets the river.
An introduction to Barrack Square, where the Bell Tower stands on the Swan River at the foot of the city.
On this page
Read the square
Barrack Square lies on Riverside Drive, on the bank of the Swan River below the city, about 400 metres from Elizabeth Quay station. The tower stands beside the ferry jetties, with the city’s office towers rising behind it.
A guide can give context without turning a place into a backdrop. Notice how the copper sails turn towards the water, how the glass spire catches the light, and how the jetties and lawns gather round the tower.
A changing riverfront
The view from the tower has changed with the city. In January 2014 it looked down on the building site of Elizabeth Quay, the new waterfront next to Barrack Square.
Begin with a detail and ask who built it, who uses it and how it changes through the year. A photograph alone cannot tell you that.
A tower chapter
The Bell Tower shows one side of Barrack Square: a landmark built for very old bells on a modern riverfront.
Look at the meeting of the two: the centuries-old bells inside, and the glass and copper that hold them above the river.
Make room for context
Pair this reading with the tower’s history and the Journal. This is an introduction for visitors, not a claim that our team manages these places or represents the people who run them.
Read at the source
Sources & further reading
Links lead to the original publishers.
