Tasmania's Art Catacomb Carved Into a Cliff

At a Glance

MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) stands on the Moorilla winery estate in Berriedale, north of Hobart, Tasmania. Opened in January 2011 with about AUD 75M of private funding from collector David Walsh—a former professional gambler—it has become one of the largest private museums in the Southern Hemisphere. Walsh calls it "a subversive adult Disneyland."

Three Floors Carved into a Cliff

Designed by Melbourne's Fender Katsalidis, MONA is cut into the sandstone bluffs of the Moorilla peninsula and descends three underground levels—only a small entry pavilion is visible above ground. A spiral staircase takes visitors into raw sandstone walls. There are no labels; instead, a GPS-enabled device called "the O" surfaces commentary as you move. Curatorially, time and region give way to themes—chiefly "sex and death."

Must-See Works

• Wim Delvoye — Cloaca Professional: a machine that simulates human digestion, fed real food and producing real waste each day.
• Sidney Nolan — Snake: a 1,620-panel mural across an entire wall.
• James Turrell — Event Horizon, the largest permanent Turrell in Australia.
• Julius Popp — bit.fall, a kinetic installation that prints live news in falling drops.
• Ancient Egyptian and Mesopotamian objects, often placed beside contemporary work to collapse 5,000 years into one room.

Visiting Tips

Take the MONA ROMA ferry from Brooke Street Pier in Hobart (30 minutes). The ferry is part of the brand experience. Budget 3–4 hours inside; add The Source restaurant and Moorilla winery for a full day. Australian residents enter free; international visitors around AUD 35. Often closed Tuesdays; check hours and the MONA FOMA and Dark Mofo festival calendars.