To begin our day, Darren and I headed STRAIGHT to Jackman and Mcross Bakery (again), and this time, we had a proper sit-down sort of breakfast. I can't even remember what we ordered now. Some salmon wrapped scrambled eggs on danish and poached eggs on spinach with onion relish I think! Whatever they're both called, I just know they were rockin' good! So good that Darren practically gobbled his up and didn't share. Thanks Darren! No wonder everyone says the bakery's a must-go. It truly is. We went there three times, on all three days while we were in Hobart! And all three times, food was perfect.
After our lip-smackingly good breakfast, we walked around and took photos of cute houses in Battery Point. We talked about what sort of houses we liked, what colour doors and roofs we liked most. We looked at other people's gardens and window sills. Some had interesting 'artefacts' on them. It was pretty fun. If you have the time, do take a walk around the area too. You might find it enjoyable. 
Moving on, we made our way down to Salamanca Place in Sullivans Cove, which was just next to the Wharf. We pre-bought Ferry tickets to MONA and were still about 45 Mins early. So we explored the area again, this time, discovering funny shop names and a fun kids shop. The kid in me ended up leaving with a peanut eraser and a very big pencil. I wanted a giant slinky, octopus tentacles and a super big eraser too. But I didn't think everything would fit in my bag! Also, it was time for us to board the ferry so we had to leave. Too bad, no big erasers for me.
Now hands up who's been to MONA! Those of you who have would probably agree with me that it's a fantastic place. For starters, here's an important fact about me. I do not really like going to art museums and galleries. Yes. Shocking! Especially since I'm an artist myself and I'm going to become an art teacher in a school hopefully next year (If I get hired!) Simply because sometimes I find everything too 'arty' and formal. I love it when i get to see artworks out on streets, in shops, in buildings, places that's not usually the norm. So yes, this is why most galleries bore me quite a bit. Not saying that there aren't good ones I go to! I love the National Gallery of Victoria and it's amazing Leonard French stained glass ceiling. And remember a few years back, when NGV had a Ron Mueck exhibition? I loved that so much I wanted to go thrice!
Anyway, back to MONA. Opened by gambler, entrepreneur and philanthropist–and millionaire–David Walsh in January 2011, MONA is the largest private museum complex in Australia. Think Adult-disneyland. Oh yeah! Seriously, you have GOT TO get yourself to MONA. If I enjoyed Mona, I'm pretty sure you will too! In my opinion, MONA's this crazy, over-the-top, ridiculously good and extravagant museum. It's like no other museums I've ever been to. To begin, there are a few ways one could get to MONA. By a car, bus, bike, taxi, seaplane (oh yes!), helicopter (told you it was extravagant!) or the ferry. Darren and I chose to visit via the Ferry, as recommended by friends.
Upon arrival, we were presented with iPods as our little museum walking guide. Throughout the gallery, there were no artwork descriptions on walls. Everything was all in our nifty little walking device. Artwork info, sound clips and interviews automatically loaded onto each iPod when standing in front of the work itself. Oh and if iPods aren't fancy enough for you. They came with Sennheiser headphones! So with headphones worn and iPods synced, we started off on our mega art tour. Starting from the bottom level, where the cinema was (Yup! There's indeed a cinema in the museum), we were greeted with live jazz and waiters serving cocktails, more oysters, classy pizzas, cheeseboards. We weren't hungry so we went on to look at art.
Highlights for me included seeing Erwin Wurm's funky Fat Car, Julius Popp's Bit.Drop, Sidney Nolan's Snake. To be honest, there were lots of other artworks I enjoyed, such as Kathryn Del Barton and Damien Hirst's pieces. Then there was also that extra white room, The Bowl with Fish and Sharp Knife, spooky Death gallery, dead horse, tunnel, beautiful room filled with rugs, and blah blah blah... The list goes on! But if I had to just be super selective and pick my top 3 favourite, I'd pick the the first 3 mentioned. AH-MAZING! I'm not going to say any much more about MONA, except the fact that it's truly worth going. So I shall let my (mostly crappy iPhone) pictures do the talking! 
Now, my photos are perhaps just 0.9% of what's at MONA. There's really lots to see and we spent an entire day there. We had a nice lunch in between walking through levels of art. And finished our trip by celebrating over beer and oysters. Yum! 
One thing I really loved about MONA, was the fact that you could snap as many pictures as you wanted and you're actually allowed to and encouraged to! That's kind of a first as most galleries would have a strict no photos rule. It's nice to be able to take photos and share them with friends and family. Also, while reading descriptions about each artwork, you could choose to 'LOVE' or 'HATE' it. Just like Facebook! Except you get to see how many others hate the work as well. Pretty funny I say! And the descriptions are all so easy to read and comprehend. Nothing arty farty philosophically fancy pants. Oh and one other thing I loved, there were lots of funny mickey mouse chairs outdoors. Totally made for this adult Disneyland. Darren and I wanted one but nah, they don't sell it. Would be cute though! 
Anyway, that's all from me, for MONA. There's plenty of good write ups out there so go have a read before you visit. Just in case you aren't sure where to look, here's one by my amazing friend and blogging rockstar, Lucy Feagins! 
Post-MONA, Darren and I headed back to the city via the ferry (we bought return tickets) and had dinner at the super cool seafood restaurant by the wharf. We had walked past the previous day but were too full for a second dinner so we made it a point to have our very last Tassie dinner there. Drunken Admiral's such a cute little cosy place. The entire restaurant was decked out in a massive ammount of nautical memorabilia and old wares. The entire maritime theme made you feel like a sailor of sorts! Darren and I were lucky, someone cancelled their reservation and we scored ourselves a cosy, romantic dining 'booth'. There's booth seating everywhere in the restaurant. But we were in this special stand-alone booth. I can't remember the name/number of it now. But I'm pretty sure if you rang and asked, they would know! It's sort of like a little cabin on it's own. 
We ordered a whole bunch of different stuff but our favourite was the seafood chowder. Very creamy and delicious. Hands down, best chowder we've tasted while in Tassie. The service was fantastic too. All in all, a good experience. Would highly recommend it to everyone! 
So, that's it. Day 5 in Tassie. Lots of art, great food. What more can one ask for. See you back here tomorrow for the very last Tassie post. Sigh! Wished our holiday lasted longer than 6 days. But well, that's what happens when you're on a budget! Okie dokies, see you back here tomorrow! Ta! 
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