MONA (Museum of Old and New Art)

The Museum of Old and New Art, universally known as MONA, is a privately owned art museum on the Berriedale peninsula 12 kilometres north of Hobart. It was built and funded by Tasmanian professional gambler and collector David Walsh, and opened to the public in January 2011. The museum sits almost entirely underground, carved into the sandstone cliffs on the banks of the Derwent River, with three levels descending below a small entrance pavilion.

The building was designed by Melbourne architects Fender Katsalidis to look unassuming from above but to unfold into a dramatic subterranean space inside. Visitors enter through an original 1958 house that Walsh preserved, descend a spiral staircase into the main gallery level, and work their way up through the galleries to the surface. The structure, at 6,000 square metres of exhibition space, is the largest privately funded museum in Australia.

MONA's collection is deliberately controversial. It mixes ancient Egyptian antiquities, Roman coins and modern masters with contemporary pieces that range from challenging to outright provocative. The museum's guidebook is delivered via a smartphone app rather than wall labels, giving visitors irreverent commentary on each work. The museum also owns the surrounding Moorilla Winery (including a cellar door and restaurant) and the Moo Brew brewery.

MONA operates two major annual festivals: Dark Mofo in June (winter solstice, focused on fire, light and confronting experimental work) and MONA FOMA in January (the more relaxed summer festival with music, food and public art). Both have rewritten the Hobart cultural calendar since they started. The museum is reached by a fast purpose-built catamaran ferry from the Brooke Street Pier in central Hobart, a 25-minute journey each way, and by road with free parking at the site.