Australia🇦🇺 | attractionsMONAContemporary art, underground galleries, provocative installations, riverside architecture | things to do and best time to go

The O
Let’s get this out of the way: MONA’s “O” device is your ticket to the weirdest, most interactive art experience you’ll ever have. Forget wall labels. You get an iPod-like gadget that tracks your location and serves up blunt, irreverent commentary, artist interviews, and even David Walsh’s own musings. It’s half guide, half prankster, and it makes you feel like you’re in on the joke rather than being lectured at. This is the only museum where the audio guide is as much a part of the show as the art itself.



Tim
You’ll hear about it before you see it: a room-sized installation by Wim Delvoye, featuring a machine that literally eats, digests, and poops. Yes, you read that right. “Tim” is a mechanical digestive tract, fed daily, and it produces actual, honest-to-god waste. It’s gross, hilarious, … read more 👉

The O
Let’s get this out of the way: MONA’s “O” device is your ticket to the weirdest, most interactive art experience you’ll ever have. Forget wall labels. You get an iPod-like gadget that tracks your location and serves up blunt, irreverent commentary, artist interviews, and even David Walsh’s own musings. It’s half guide, half prankster, and it makes you feel like you’re in on the joke rather than being lectured at. This is the only museum where the audio guide is as much a part of the show as the art itself.



Tim
You’ll hear about it before you see it: a room-sized installation by Wim Delvoye, featuring a machine that literally eats, digests, and poops. Yes, you read that right. “Tim” is a mechanical digestive tract, fed daily, and it produces actual, honest-to-god waste. It’s gross, hilarious, and a perfect example of MONA’s commitment to art that makes you squirm and laugh at the same time. No one leaves this room without a story.



James Turrell’s Amarna
This is not your average light show. Turrell’s “Amarna” is a skyspace—an open-air chamber where the ceiling frames the sky, and hidden LEDs slowly shift color as dusk falls. The effect is meditative, trippy, and quietly profound. It’s a rare moment of calm in a museum that otherwise delights in chaos. If you can, time your visit for sunset. The hush that falls over the crowd as the colors change is pure magic.



Fat Car
Erwin Wurm’s “Fat Car” is exactly what it sounds like: a Porsche, grotesquely inflated until it looks like it’s about to burst. It’s funny, it’s unsettling, and it’s a sly jab at excess and desire. You’ll see people circling it, grinning, trying to figure out if it’s real. It’s one of those pieces that’s impossible to forget, and it’s a reminder that MONA doesn’t take itself too seriously.



The Void Bar
Yes, the art is wild, but the bar carved into the sandstone depths of MONA is a destination in itself. The Void Bar is moody, subterranean, and feels like a Bond villain’s lair. Order a Tasmanian whisky, sit back, and watch the parade of dazed visitors trying to process what they’ve just seen. It’s the perfect palate cleanser between mind-bending installations. This one’s my personal favorite—because sometimes the best art appreciation happens with a drink in hand, surrounded by strangers who are just as gobsmacked as you.



Outdoor Art and Moorilla Grounds
Don’t skip the grounds. MONA’s outdoor sculptures are scattered across a vineyard and lawns that slope down to the Derwent River. There’s a giant trampoline, a graveyard for unknown soldiers, and oddities lurking in the bushes. It’s a rare museum where you can sprawl on the grass with a glass of wine and still be surrounded by art. This is where the Instagrammers get their shots, but the real joy is in wandering and stumbling onto something unexpected.