Honestly, the first time you see the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania from the river, it looks like a Bond villain’s lair. It’s this windowless, rusted-steel fortress hunkered down on a peninsula in Berriedale, just north of Hobart. Most people think they’re going to a "museum," but that’s a bit of a lie. It’s more of a $110 million psychological experiment funded by a man who got rich by outsmarting horse racing algorithms.
David Walsh, the eccentric founder, famously calls it a "subversive adult Disneyland." He isn't wrong.
You don’t just walk in through a gift shop. You descend. You go down a spiraling sandstone staircase, deep into the earth, until you’re three levels underground. It’s cold. It’s dark. There are no windows and definitely no boring white walls. Instead, you're greeted by raw Triassic sandstone walls and a bar—the Void Bar—because Walsh thinks you should probably have a drink before looking at his stuff.
Why the Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania Isn't Your Typical Gallery
Traditional museums love to tell you what to think. They have those little white cards next to paintings that explain, in very dry language, why a 14th-century vase is "important."
The Museum of Old and New Art in Tasmania hates that.
There are zero labels on the walls. None. If you want to know what you’re looking at, you have to use "The O," which is a bespoke app (or a borrowed iPod) that uses GPS to figure out where you’re standing. It gives you three options for information:
- Art Wank: The high-brow, academic explanation.
- Gonzo: Walsh’s personal, often rambling and unfiltered thoughts.
- Media: Interviews with the artists.
You can even hit a "Love" or "Hate" button for every piece. It’s petty, it’s interactive, and it’s weirdly satisfying to tell a multi-million dollar installation that it sucks.
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The Things You Can't Unsee (The "Sex and Death" Theme)
Walsh has a bit of an obsession. He’s been very open about the fact that his collection centers on sex and death. You’ll see ancient Egyptian sarcophagi sitting right next to a contemporary machine that literally eats and poops.
I’m talking about Cloaca Professional by Wim Delvoye. It’s a series of glass vats and tubes that mimic the human digestive system. It gets fed at lunch, and by 2:00 PM, it produces... well, the inevitable. It smells. People crowd around it. It’s a metaphor for consumerism, or maybe just a very expensive joke.
Then there is the Great Wall of Vagina. It’s exactly what it sounds like: 151 porcelain sculptures of vulvas. It’s not meant to be erotic; it’s a study in diversity and the reality of the human body.
But it’s not all shock value. You’ve got Snake by Sidney Nolan, a massive mural made of 1,620 individual paintings that stretches across a curved wall. It’s beautiful and overwhelming.
The 2026 Experience: What’s Happening Right Now?
If you’re heading there in early 2026, the vibe has shifted slightly from the "shock-jock" era to something more kinetic and physical.
Right now, the big draw is the Arcangelo Sassolino exhibition, in the end, the beginning. It’s running until April 2026. This isn't "don't touch the art" territory—it’s "wear safety glasses" territory. He has these massive hydraulic machines that crush wood and metal. There’s one piece where molten steel drips from the ceiling at 1500°C. It’s terrifying and hypnotic.
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Also, Théo Mercier’s MIRRORSCAPE is still on until mid-February. It’s this vast, ruined landscape made entirely of sand. It feels like walking through a post-apocalyptic dream that’s about to crumble.
The "Ladies Lounge" Controversy
You might have heard about the legal drama. A few years ago, Walsh’s wife, Kirsha Kaechele, created the Ladies Lounge—a space where only women were allowed to sit, drink champagne, and be served by handsome male butlers.
A man sued for discrimination and won.
In classic MONA fashion, they didn't just open the doors to men. They turned the lounge into a "ladies' toilet" and hung genuine Picassos on the walls. Because, under Tasmanian law, you can have single-sex toilets. It’s that kind of stubborn, middle-finger energy that makes this place more than just a building full of stuff.
Getting There Without Looking Like a Tourist
Don’t drive. Just don't.
The best way—the only way, really—is the Mona Roma ferry. It leaves from Brooke Street Pier in Hobart. It’s a 25-minute trip up the Derwent River.
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The ferry is camouflaged. You can sit on a literal sheep (the seats are shaped like livestock). If you want to lean into the absurdity, book the "Posh Pit." It’s an extra $30-40, but you get free-flowing Tasmanian sparkling wine, beer, and "tiny food." By the time you hit the 99 steps leading up to the museum, you’re usually feeling pretty good.
Survival Tips for Your Visit
- Bring Headphones: The O app has a lot of audio. If you don't bring your own, you’ll be holding your phone to your ear like a 2004 businessman.
- Avoid Tuesdays and Wednesdays: They are closed. Every week. People still show up at the pier looking confused. Don't be that person.
- The "Deposit" Trick: If you’re a Tasmanian local, entry is technically free, but you still have to pay a deposit when you book. You only get it back if you actually show up. It’s Walsh’s way of making sure people don't flake.
- Eat at Faro: It’s their glass-walled restaurant. It’s expensive, but they have these "sensory" dining experiences where you might end up wearing a blindfold or sitting in a giant sphere of light.
Is It Actually Worth the Hype?
Look, some people hate it. They find it pretentious, gross, or just confusing. Michael Connor, a critic for Quadrant, once called it "the art of the exhausted."
But honestly? That’s why it works.
Tasmania used to be the place people forgot about—the "quiet" state. MONA changed that. It’s why Dark Mofo (the winter festival) exists. It’s why Hobart has a food scene that rivals Melbourne.
Whether you love the "poo machine" or think the Ladies Lounge is a stunt, you can’t deny that it makes you feel something. In a world of sanitized, corporate-sponsored art galleries, a crazy gambler’s basement is a breath of fresh, albeit sometimes slightly smelly, air.
Practical Next Steps for Your Visit:
- Check the Timetable: The ferry departs Brooke Street Pier starting at 9:15 AM. Book the 10:15 AM if you want to beat the initial rush but still have a full day.
- Download the "O" App Before You Arrive: The Wi-Fi inside the subterranean levels can be patchy. Download it on the ferry so you're ready to go the moment you hit the sandstone.
- Reserve Faro for Lunch: If you want the full sensory dining experience, you need to book at least two weeks out, especially for weekend slots in 2026.
- Budget for 4 Hours: You can't "do" the museum in an hour. Between the tunnels, the bars, and the outdoor installations, you need a minimum of four hours to see the highlights.