Mona unveils grand expansion plans including casino, hotel and conference centre
IT is Mona 2.0 and it is spectacular. David Walsh has unveiled his vision for the world-renowned museum that would be spearheaded by a 63m hotel he said could be a “beacon for Hobart”. SEE THE VIDEO
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IT is Mona 2.0 and it is spectacular.
Mona founder David Walsh has unveiled his vision for the next phase of growth for the world-renowned museum that would be spearheaded by a 63m hotel he said could be a “beacon for Hobart”.
During a rare speech, at the Tourism Council of Tasmania’s industry luncheon at Mona, Mr Walsh announced plans for:
A $300 million five-star, 63m high and 172-room hotel — to be called HOMO (Hotel at Mona) — on the museum’s Berriedale site, to be completed in January, 2022.
TAKING the summer Mona Foma festival to Launceston in 2019, with at least one event planned in the North during next year’s event.
A LUXURY accommodation resort at Marion Bay in the state’s South-East.
Mr Walsh said plans already announced for the Berriedale Caravan Park development — now named HOBO — that have been held up because of the nearby sewage treatment plant and for a high roller casino called Monaco are still on the horizon.
Other new developments and installations planned for Mona include a gallery, two playgrounds, Rjoyi Ikeda’s famed tower of light becoming a permanent installation on site, a homage to Dante’s Divine Comedy where heaven, hell and purgatory will be recreated, a large hydraulic installation in the River Derwent where people can almost walk on water and the ability for people to walk around a storage facility for the museum’s artwork.
But it is the new hotel design that is set to be the main project in the near future. A number of designs were scrapped because views of the River Derwent could not be guaranteed.
The design is based on the famous Golden Gate bridge in San Francisco — but upside down — allowing it to be suspended over the Derwent so ferries can drop off and pick up passengers. Mr Walsh said the plan would fit in perfectly with the Mona site.
“It’s our version of the Golden Gate bridge, a beacon for Hobart,” he said.
“Those arched structures are the Golden Gate bridge upside down, it’s a suspension bridge upside down.
“The idea is that we can support it from above and get everything on site.”
The hotel will also contain an indoor theatre/concert hall seating 1075 people, a function and events centre for about 1000 people, a spa and a three-storey library containing Mr Walsh’s large collection of rare books and manuscripts he said could have the same impact as the museum.
“I’ve been collecting books longer than art,” he said.
But it was the ability to have a theatre under the hotel that Walsh said was the ingenious of the HOMO design.
“You can’t usually build a theatre in a building because when it shakes the building shakes,” he said.
“But in this design because they are hanging from the top, the top seven floors are disconnected from the bottom three ones so they won’t shake when the theatre does.
“It’s the best idea anyone has ever had ... and it wasn’t me.”
Walsh and his Mona team hope to have HOMO opened by January 21, 2022 — the 11th anniversary since he opened the museum. Construction would create about 300 jobs.
Because work would start in 2019, a new home would be needed for the musuem’s onsite summer festival Mona Foma. Mr Walsh said Mona had made a proposal to the State Government to move the festival to Launceston.
“It would have been easy for Mofo to run a formula, it would have been easy for Mona to run a formula,” he said.
“We have been holding Mofo out here [at Berridale] for the last couple of years with a lot of success but the space won’t be available with the construction of the hotel.
“So our idea is to change, to up-end Mofo by moving it to Launceston.
“We hope that the thousands of people who come to Hobart come to Launceston.”
Mona co-chief executive Mark Wilsdon said if the Government provided adequate support, the move north could happen soon.
“If things go to plan we will do a pop-up event, a free significant event up in Launceston next year while still running the festival down here,” he said.
“And following that, depending on the funding deed we are able to secure, we will move the festival holus-bolus to Launceston.”
As well as spreading its wings north, Mona could also increase its footprint to the east with a proposed high-end 17-room resort at Marion Bay on land owned by Mr Walsh.
Tourism Industry of Tasmania chair Daniel Leesong said it was massive for the sector that Mona was taking festivals and developments to other locations.
“What we have seen is another transformative project by Mona,” Mr Leesong said.
“What this not only has the potential to do is put Tasmania on the map but also diversify some of the traffic to the northern part of the state through Mofo – this is fantastic for the industry and really welcomed.
“How fantastic is it that you can have Mona who have come out of nowhere in the past six to eight years really spread its wings across the state. It’s great news for regional Tasmania as well as Hobart as a city.”
Premier Will Hodgman said the Government would discuss the proposal with Mr Walsh.
“I think whatever comes out via Mona and David Walsh is always worth listening to,” Mr Hodgman said.
“There’s no doubt that the Mona effect has been significant for the state right across the state and as a government we would certainly look forward to looking at what plans they have to expand.”
Labor leader Rebecca White said the new vision was “enormously exciting”.
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