The architect behind Mona has his own quirky property, just outside Melbourne

Mount Monument exists because of a giant nipple in a newspaper ad. It’s somewhat fitting, really, given the winery/cellar door/restaurant/sculpture park is a mini Mona of sorts – an unintentional spin-off of the famously risqué Museum of Old and New Art in Hobart.

The parallel is that Mona’s architect, Nonda Katsalidis, also designed Mount Monument. Plus, he owns the joint.

Mount Monument was designed by Nonda Katsalidis, the architect behind Hobart’s Mona.Credit: Adam Neylon

The renowned architect, who has Melbourne’s Eureka Tower in his portfolio and an AM after his name to recognise his contribution to architecture, wasn’t actually in the market for property. But when he chanced upon an ad for a 44-hectare farm in Victoria’s Macedon Ranges, established around a rare white basalt mamelon (a steep protrusion created by lava pushing through a narrow vent in bedrock, named after the French word for nipple), he wanted to buy it. So he did.

That was in 2004, after which he and his wife Jane began breaking up their city life in Melbourne with trips to the farm. A couple of years in, Katsalidis, an art-lover, commissioned Australian artist Lisa Roet to recast one of her prizewinning sculptures – an ape’s head as tall as a single-storey house – to sit outside their holiday home like a reimagined totem pole.

Ape anchored, Katsalidis was keen to pursue sculpting himself; an interest, he says, that took a back seat due to a busy career. They say to be careful what you wish for, because plenty of time readily appeared when the global pandemic ground Melbourne to a halt. Nonda and Jane escaped to the countryside, where he brought his passion to life. Art became a serious undertaking for the couple and they decided there was more joy in collecting and creating if the works could be shared with the public – hence Mount Monument was born. In Katsalidis’ words, it’s a holiday house that got out of control.

The Mount Monument property already had a vineyard, so local vigneron and winemaker Ben Ranken, a finalist in the Young Gun of Wine competition each year from 2018 to 2021 – was approached to tend the vines and transform their fruit, capitalising on the property’s mineral-rich volcanic soil.

The boldly hued cellar door and lounge bar.Credit: Adam Neylon

The ensuing elegant and sophisticated wines Ranken created, including pinot noir, riesling and chardonnay, reflect the climate of the Macedon Ranges which is the coldest wine region in mainland Australia. With just 215 hectares of vineyards (tiny, compared with the Yarra Valley’s 2837 hectares), the Macedon region is relatively unknown, despite being only an hour north of Melbourne and producing exceptional wine (trust me, I’ve done the legwork).

Mount Monument’s production is so small the wines don’t travel beyond the cellar door, so Katsalidis makes sure those who visit for a tasting are duly rewarded.

First, there’s the building itself, which Katsalidis describes as “honest”. Its brutalist factory aesthetic honours its function as a wine-making machine, and rust-red steel beams add visual interest to the concrete structure, both inside and out. Though boxy from the front, a manicured garden softens the landscape as you approach the spacious cellar door at the rear, which pops with accents of pink, yellow and blue. Casual visitors can swirl and sip their way through the wine-tasting list at the curved bar, then retire to the cobalt-blue couches for a wine or cocktail alongside oysters, arancini or charcuterie.

A cool industrial aesthetic at Mount Monument restaurant.Credit: Adam Neylon

An even better option, however, is to eat at the Mount Monument restaurant. Katsalidis was intent on making his establishment approachable and unpretentious, even though the quality of the food and presentation is that of a fine-diner. That’s a credit to chef Ben Salt, another young gun in his own right, who created a four-course menu from predominantly local ingredients. Gin-cured kingfish, pine mushrooms in pine-needle yoghurt, a spiced apple tart – it was all difficult to fault.

The glass-faced restaurant has sweeping views of the vineyard – and that’s the direction you’ll want to face Granny if you’re not sure how she’ll react to a painting showing a couple in an R-rated position. Ah, yes, the Mona parallels. The said piece is a satirical depiction of the debauchery in the Chinese military by propaganda artist Gian Jian, and forms part of a modest collection of paintings (mostly G-rated).

The glass-faced restaurant has sweeping views of the vineyard.Credit: Adam Neylon

Though you won’t come face-to-face with a wall of vulvas (if you haven’t been to Mona, you’ll have to discreetly look that up), you will face off with a three-metre-high human head sculpted with quilted metal, which was craned out of Katsalidis’ Port Melbourne apartment to find a role as an unconventional and imposing maitre d’ of sorts.

As an architect, Katsalidis is more partial to three-dimensional art, so the real exhibition is outside, spread across a good four hectares. And while Katsalidis’ good friend David Walsh – the mastermind behind Mona – has an international eye and a fascination with sex and death, Katsalidis is more interested in providing a platform for local artists and choosing pieces that complement the landscape.

The sculpture was craned out of Katsalidis’ Port Melbourne apartment to become a maître d’ of sorts.Credit: Adam Neylon

Currently, 30 sculptures are scattered among olive trees, dwarfing kangaroos backlit with an angelic glow as they graze in the afternoon sun. That collection is set to grow as Katsalidis says he’s all in when it comes to helping put the Macedon Ranges on the map; much like that giant rocky nipple put Mount Monument itself on the map.

The details

Stay
You can day-trip to Mount Monument from Melbourne, but to explore the greater region, it’s best to stay a night. The homely Hanging Rock Views B&B is a six-minute drive from Mount Monument and overlooks one of the Macedon Ranges’ most famous landmarks (as it says on the tin). See book.relaxholidayrentals.com.au

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mountmonument.com.au

The writer was a guest of Mount Monument and Hanging Rock Views.