New Sensation: Mount Monument

As the architect behind some of Australia’s most influential buildings including Hobart’s MONA and Melbourne’s Eureka Tower, Nonda Katsalidis AM has more recently directed his ingenuity towards a project close to his heart: building a cellar door, restaurant and sculpture paddock at Mount Monument vineyard. 

Even though the Katsalidis family has held the property on Romsey Road for more than 16 years, only recently have they begun to share it with the rest of us.

“The farm at Mount Monument is a lovely landscape with a volcano at its heart which rises over a hundred metres above the surrounding plain. It’s a landscape that we have poured huge effort and love into over the time we have owned it. The winery and sculpture paddock is the latest adventure in the evolution of our dream,” says Nonda.

As the architect behind some of Australia’s most influential buildings including Hobart’s MONA and Melbourne’s Eureka Tower, Nonda Katsalidis AM has more recently directed his ingenuity towards a project close to his heart: building a cellar door, restaurant and sculpture paddock at Mount Monument vineyard. 

Mount Monument’s evolution has indeed been a labour of love. Over the years, thousands of olive trees have been planted and an old dam has been converted into wetlands which has attracted waterbirds, frogs and insects.

When it comes to winemaking, the family are somewhat hands-off, preferring to leave it to award-winning local viticulturist Ben Ranken, who produces pinot noir, chardonnay, shiraz and riesling for the Mount Monument label.

Taking cues from the brutalist architecture movement, the new cellar door and restaurant made from dark grey concrete and red oxidised steel is unlike anything else in the Macedon Ranges. The restaurant features a menu of simple modern European dishes that harmonise with Mount Monument’s minimal-intervention, French-style wines.

A striking sculpture from the couple’s private collection, Richard Stringer’s The Birth of Zarathustra has found a new home at Mount Monument. Acting as a centrepiece in the restaurant, the imposing sculpture of a large human head flanked by two smaller figures keeps a watchful eye over diners.

Beyond the cellar door and restaurant, visitors can enjoy a pre-booked picnic in the sculpture paddock on sunny days. With picnic blankets, cutlery, food and – of course – wine provided, a picnic at Mount Monument is a no-fuss affair.

Sculptures by the likes of Louise Paramor, Eden McCready and Tom Borgas can be found throughout the property, as well as several works by Nonda himself who values the artistic freedom that comes with working on personal projects.

“I love to build and work with landscapes. When I do something for myself, I like to take more risk and be more experimental because if it doesn’t work, it doesn’t matter so much. I value what I learn from the process,” says Nonda.

Looking ahead, visitors will be able to stay overnight with plans for boutique accommodation in the works. Art and wine lovers, stay tuned!

Hero Image: Sculpture by Nonda Katsalidis