The story of this place
David Walsh grew up poor in Hobart, developed a mathematical system for gambling on horse races, and used the millions he won to build MONA — a museum he calls 'a subversive adult Disneyland.' Opened in 2011, it sits largely underground in a sandstone cliff on the Derwent River, accessible only by a 25-minute ferry from Hobart. The collection includes a machine that produces faeces, ancient Egyptian artefacts displayed alongside contemporary art, and works that provoke, disturb, and mystify in equal measure.
Walsh spent over $200 million of his own money on the collection and building. He has said he wants visitors to confront their own mortality and the absurdity of existence. MONA has transformed Tasmania's economy, generating an estimated $120 million annually for the state. The MONA FOMA and Dark MOFO festivals it spawned have made Hobart a global cultural destination. Walsh — who may be Australia's most eccentric patron of the arts — still lives on the property.