Hobart - one of the top 10 cities in the world!

The Hobart Waterfront

Lonely Planet has put Tasmania on the world map by ranking Hobart one of the top 10 cities in the world to visit – not bad for a city of just 200,000 people.  I hear from people every day about how wonderful Tasmania is and how they wish they had planned to spend more time here, but what really put us on the map was the genius and generosity of one man and his vision. 

Downtown Hobart - GPO

MONA The Museum of Old and New Art is the largest private art collection in the southern hemisphere.  David Walsh is a very successful businessman who made his fortune as a professional gambler and grew up in a dodgy neighbourhood near the promontory where his $80 million creation sits on the edge of the River Derwent.  The project is completely independent and privately funded, with no involvement of government funding, boards of directors or non-profit status – it is truly this man’s personal vision and he happens to be pretty eccentric.  

MONA contains a huge range of classic, unusual, controversial and sometimes confronting works of art.  The centrepiece is "Snake" by Sidney Nolan, a work that is so huge it has only once been displayed before but now has a permanent home at MONA.  The most controversial, disliked and yet most-viewed work is commonly known as the “poo machine,” a work well-sealed behind glass that displays the whole process of what happens to food when it is consumed and then finally emerges at the end into a toilet displayed at eye level.

View of Hobart from the top of Mt Wellington

For the first year, entry to MONA was free and it still is for locals who can prove their status by showing either a drivers license or evidence that they have two heads (a standard joke about Tasmanians from mainlanders who are becoming more and more annoyed with us, the traditional “poor cousins” of Australia!)  

I remember when MONA first opened less than two years ago there was huge excitement in the community that had watched this creation literally rise up out of the waters of the Derwent River.  Rumours flew that all sorts of A-listers and VIPs were going to be part of the celebration - word was that David Bowie and Mick Jagger were going to fly in for the occasion. 

Tasmanian Museum and Art Gallery on Hobart's waterfront.

What actually happened was that the typical VIPs and local players and heavies were made to wait in line for the free food and wine just like everyone else, and the press from mainland Australia who were all poised to deliver a scathing dismissal of this annoying little event in the backwater of Hobart, were shocked when David Walsh didn’t even bother making a statement to them.  His statement was in the welcoming atmosphere and stunning setting of his creation, with his VIPs and guests of honour being the tradesmen and workers who worked for years to bring his creation to life.  Several hundred random locals who had won a spot at the event in a lottery sat on bean bag chairs with everyone else and mixed it up in a true vision of humanity being what it is supposed to be – inclusive, welcoming, and accepting of everyone, even a kid from the dodgy side of town who rose up like his creation and stayed true to himself.

And now MONA’s being compared to the Guggenheim, but when people come  

to Tasmania to see it they will also be stunned by the diversity of history and culture,
world-class cuisine, wine and whisky that this little state also offers.

For people who venture out of Hobart there are some of the most pristine wilderness regions on the planet, small friendly villages, unique convict heritage, and world-class festivals and theatre and other art.  Oh, and the cleanest air and water in the world…

 

So thanks, Lonely Planet, and David Walsh of MONA for putting this magical little island on the map.  And for people reading this ... come and see us - Izzy the bus knows the way to all the special places here, and our “authentic, unhurried” philosophy at Island Time Tours is perfectly suited to this special island at the bottom of the world.   

Thanks for listening.....

Rosie