Mona founder David Walsh reveals his plans for the site’s future

High rollers drinking with working-class guests in a bar at Mona and nobody being able to tell the difference is just one of founder David Walsh’s ideas for the future of the site. SEE THE GALLERY AND LISTEN TO HIS IDEAS

MONA founder David Walsh wants high rollers to drink in a bar at his museum alogside working-class guests – with nobody able to tell the difference.

It’s just one of his ideas for the future of the Berriedale peninsula that he touched on during the release of the designs for a proposed $400 million luxury hotel to be built alongside the museum.

“I want to create a bar in this place where we sell $4 beer and a $50 beer,” Mr Walsh said.

“Where the rich losers from the casino and the poor winners from the caravan park are all drinking together and no one can tell.”

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He said building a caravan park was integral to the business.

“At the moment we’ve got ultra-high-end accommodation,” he said.

“High-end accommodation in the hotel clearly doesn’t suit everyone and the caravan park is the answer.”

Mona’s $400 million, five star, 176-room hotel includes a theatre, an outdoor stage and a conference centre. Picture: SUPPLIED

Mr Walsh said his idea for the bar would include maximum dress regulations, not minimum.

“If you turn up in your Pierre Cardin suit I’m going to issue a smock,” he said.

“The idea is to try and make it a badge of honour to have us insist that you dress down.

“It’s one of many attempted subversions of the standard process that we have in mind and that we’ll think of and most of them won’t work and some of them might.”

He said their intention was to have the caravan park open before the Motown hotel in 2024.

The lawn at Mona, which will be in upheaval during construction of the proposed hotel. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

The centrepiece of the 176-room hotel plan is a library to house a personal collection of his and his friends’ books, maps, documents and “weird stuff”.

“There was a library in Glenorchy where I was raised and I spent a lot of time there borrowing books,” he said.

“It’s given me the capacity to change my life.

“I see libraries as very important spaces. But a lot of people don’t go to libraries and a lot of people don’t go to museums and I think we’ve had a little bit of success with regard to getting people into museums that otherwise wouldn’t have.”

Mona founder and owner David Walsh talks about his plans for a hotel on the premises. Picture: MATHEW FARRELL

He said he doesn’t mind being the training wheels on bicycles when kids are learning how to ride.

“That’s what our library will be, that’s what our museum is — we would like to get people in and take the wheels off so they can go to places that might actually give them the opportunity to change.”

Mr Walsh said he hoped his hotel proposal would motivate richer, more avaricious people than himself to try some “weird things” as well.

A casino housed in the hotel is also in the works and Mona is funding research into how the “under-explored” River Derwent was used by Aboriginal people.

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An artist’s impression of the Mona site after the completion of the planned hotel. Picture: SUPPLIED