What MONA does

MONA (Museum of Old and New Art), operated by Moorilla Estate Pty Ltd, is a privately-owned subterranean art museum in Berriedale, Tasmania, founded in 2011 by David Walsh. The core product is the museum itself, housing an idiosyncratic collection of contemporary and ancient art including works by Marina Abramović, Gilbert & George, Damien Hirst, James Turrell, and Anselm Kiefer, accompanied by a private antiquities collection (Moorilla Museum of Antiquities). The venue draws 354,000 annual visitors and is sustained by AUD 695 million in dividend income from Walsh's gambling-related businesses (parent: Downward Spiral Enterprises), having accumulated AUD 408 million in operating losses since opening.

The company's core technology is The O, a bespoke wayfinding and information app built in-house by wholly-owned subsidiary Art Processors that replaces traditional wall labels, providing artwork information, nearby venue discovery, and real-time queue management. Ticketing infrastructure integrates third-party platforms Tessitura and Moshtix, while e-commerce runs on Shopify. MONA is GDPR and Australian Privacy Principles compliant.

The business model is multi-stream: museum entry tickets (single-visit and two-day), on-site F&B across The Source, Faro, Void Bar, Wine Bar, and Moorilla Cellar Door, Moorilla/Domaine A wine sales, Moo Brew craft beer, eight luxury accommodation pavilions, two major annual festivals (Dark Mofo winter, Mona Foma summer), an online and on-site merchandise shop (clothing, books, jewellery, accessories), and a unified gift card system (Monay) accepted across all venues. Distribution is omnichannel: direct website, on-site box offices, authorized third-party ticketing, physical retail, the Brooke Street Pier ferry terminal, and international e-commerce. Customers are general public visitors, tourists, festival attendees, and hospitality guests, with no enterprise or B2B customer base.

Name

MONA

Legal name

Moorilla Estate Pty Ltd

Website

https://mona.net.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2011

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) is a privately-owned subterranean art museum in Tasmania operating an integrated destination combining contemporary and ancient art exhibitions, luxury accommodation, multiple restaurants and bars, a winery, craft brewery, festivals, and online retail for general public visitors and tourists.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum and Cultural Destination

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums (71211)

akta.pro primary industry

Art Museums (THAJADAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Cideries & Meadery Tasting Rooms (THAFALAI), Eco-Lodges (Sustainable/Nature-Based) (THAGAIAC)

Keywords

• Art museum exhibitions
• Cultural festival programming
• Winery brewery products
• Luxury hospitality services
• Art merchandise retail

Headquarters

HQ city

Berriedale

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Museum Entry Tickets: Direct ticket sales for museum entry including single-visit and two-day tickets. Tasmanian residents receive a $5 holding fee rebate upon visiting.
2. Monay Gift Cards: Digital and physical gift cards redeemable across all Mona venues, shops, restaurants, accommodations, and experiences. Gift cards can be purchased in denominations from $30 to custom amounts.
3. Food and Beverage: On-site dining at The Source restaurant, Faro Bar + Restaurant, Void Bar, Wine Bar, and Moorilla Cellar Door. Also includes Moo Brew beer and Moorilla and Domaine A wines.
4. Retail/Shop: Mona Shop sells merchandise including clothing, books, jewellery, accessories, and kids items. Products available both in-store and online.
5. Accommodation: The Pavilions offer eight individual accommodation pavilions on-site, providing luxury accommodation with art-focused experiences.
6. Gambling Dividend Income (Parent Company): The gallery is sustained by dividend income from owner David Walsh's gambling-related businesses. Parent company Downward Spiral Enterprises has provided $695 million in dividend income over eight years to fund operations.
7. Events and Festivals: Dark Mofo and Mona Foma festivals generate revenue through event tickets, festival tickets, and associated experiences including concerts and special exhibitions.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

MONA is a subterranean art museum and integrated cultural destination in Berriedale, Tasmania that offers contemporary and ancient art exhibitions, on-site dining and bars, estate-produced wines (Moorilla and Domaine A) and craft beer (Moo Brew), eight luxury accommodation pavilions, two major annual festivals (Dark Mofo winter festival and Mona Foma summer festival), an online merchandise shop, and gift cards accepted across all venues.

Product overview

MONA (Museum of Old and New Art) is an underground art museum in Berriedale, Tasmania operated by Moorilla Estate Pty Ltd. The organization operates as a multi-faceted cultural destination combining a contemporary art museum, accommodation pavilions, wineries (Moorilla and Domaine A), craft brewery (Moo Brew), restaurants (The Source, Faro, Void Bar, Dubsy's), festivals (Dark Mofo, Mona Foma), a wayfinding app (The O), and an online merchandise shop. The offering is a unified destination experience where visitors can access art, dining, accommodation, and retail across multiple touchpoints, with Monay gift cards accepted across most venues and services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Mona Pavilions: Eight individual luxury accommodation pavilions located at the museum site.
• Monay
• The O

Products and services

• MONA Museum Entry Subterranean art museum in Berriedale, Tasmania housing contemporary and ancient art collections by international artists including Marina Abramović, Damien Hirst, Gilbert & George, James Turrell, Ai Weiwei, and Wim Delvoye. Tickets sold as single visit and two-day passes, with Tasmanian residents receiving a $5 holding fee rebate upon attendance within 28 days.
• Dark Mofo Festival Annual winter festival of music, art, and performance held at and around Mona in Tasmania, recognised internationally for its provocative winter programming. Ticketed event with revenue from festival passes and associated experiences.
• Mona Foma Festival Summer festival combining music, art, and performance programming, held in Tasmania as the warmer-weather counterpart to Dark Mofo. Ticketed event with associated concerts and special exhibitions.
• Mona Pavilions Accommodation Eight individual architecturally distinctive luxury accommodation pavilions on the Mona estate providing overnight stays with art-focused experiences. Booked through Mona's reservation system with separate booking terms.
• Moorilla Wines Estate winery operation producing and selling wines through the Moorilla Cellar Door tasting venue on-site and via online sales. Wines are also served across Mona's restaurants and bars.
• Domaine A Wines Premium wine brand produced at the Moorilla estate and sold through Mona's wine bars, cellar door, and online channels.
• Moo Brew Craft Beer Craft beer brand brewed on-site at the museum and sold across Mona venues and online through the Mona Shop e-commerce site.
• Mona Shop Merchandise Online and on-site merchandise store selling Mona-branded clothing, books, jewellery, accessories, and kids items, with international shipping available.
• Monay Gift Cards Digital and physical gift cards accepted across all Mona venues, shops, restaurants, accommodations, and experiences, available in pre-set denominations from $30 to $10,000 plus custom amounts. Cards never expire.
• Mona Ferry Transport Ferry transportation service connecting Hobart's Brooke Street Pier to Mona, operated by Derwent Cruises and sold through Mona's ticketing system, providing integrated transport for museum visitors.

Named customers4 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration7 records

Feature1 record

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Art Processors Pty LtdcoreTechnology or IntegrationArt Processors built and supports The O, Mona's bespoke wayfinding and information app. The app replaces traditional wall labels and texts, providing visitors with artwork information, nearby locations, and real-time queue management. Data transmitted to Art Processors is de-identified before leaving visitor devices.
• Derwent Cruises Pty LtdcoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorDerwent Cruises operates the Mona ferry service connecting Hobart's Brooke Street Pier to the museum. Tickets for ferry and bus transfers are sold through Mona's ticketing system. The ferry creates an integrated transport-access experience for visitors.
• MoshtixminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial third-party ticketing partner authorized to sell Mona tickets. Part of Mona's multi-channel distribution strategy.
• TessituraminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorOfficial third-party ticketing partner authorized to sell Mona tickets. Part of Mona's enterprise ticketing infrastructure.
• EPØKHEminorGTM or Marketing PartnerTasmanian-designed eyewear brand partnered with Mona Foma to produce co-branded sunglasses. The collaboration produced super-premium, Italian-made sunnies sold through Mona's shop.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• The Broad: Privately endowed contemporary art museum in Los Angeles founded by Eli Broad. Directly comparable as a single-sponsor, single-site contemporary art institution combining a major private collection with destination hospitality and retail.
• Meow Wolf: For-profit immersive art experience company operating multiple permanent exhibition venues in the US. Comparable to Mona as a privately funded, destination-scale, unconventional contemporary art attraction built around a single visionary founder ethos.
• Louisiana Museum of Modern Art: Privately governed Danish contemporary art museum combining major modern art holdings with sculpture park, dining, and shop. Comparable as an integrated art-plus-hospitality destination with a strong single-site brand.
• Zeitz Museum of Contemporary Art Africa: Major private contemporary art museum in Cape Town created from a single wealthy patron's vision and collection. Comparable to Mona as a founder-driven, destination-grade contemporary art museum with F&B and retail integrated.

Broad incumbents

• Centre Pompidou: Major French national contemporary art museum with iconic architecture, integrated performance, retail, and dining. Comparable as a destination contemporary art institution combining cultural programming with commercial visitor amenities.
• Tate Modern: UK's flagship contemporary art museum and one of the most-visited museums worldwide. Comparable as a large-scale contemporary art destination with integrated retail and dining.
• Whitney Museum of American Art: New York's leading contemporary American art museum with a strong private-donor funding model and integrated retail/dining. Comparable in scope of contemporary collection and museum-plus-hospitality model.
• Pérez Art Museum Miami: Contemporary art museum in Miami combining modern/contemporary collection with waterfront dining and retail. Comparable as a single-site destination contemporary art museum with integrated hospitality.
• Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation: Iconic global contemporary art museum brand with multiple international sites. Comparable as a major private contemporary art institution with destination status, retail, and restaurant operations.

Regional players

• National Gallery of Victoria: Australia's largest and oldest public art museum, operating major Melbourne sites with blockbuster exhibitions, dining, and retail. Comparable as the leading Australian contemporary art institution in the same regional market.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/c/MonaMuseum
• Facebookfacebook.com/MONAmuseum
• Instagraminstagram.com/monamuseum
• Xx.com/monamuseum

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries7 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about MONA