
Melbourne Rare Book Week 2026
Melbourne Rare Book Week 24 Jul – 2 Aug 2026 | As BMI associated events are confirmed they will be listed HERE.
When local Clunes resident Leslie Scott discovers two brumbies living on the rugged Mount Beckworth, she almost can’t believe it. Brumbies don’t live in Central Victoria, and the terrain is not suited to them, so how did they get there?
The horses are scared and unused to people, but the mountain is not a safe place for horses. With summer heat on its way, the waterholes are drying up and food is getting scarce – and local rumour has it that logging is soon to begin. Looking into the eyes of the young colt she names Milo, Leslie knows it’s up to her to gain their trust and get them down to safety.
‘Every day for months Leslie makes the hike up the mountain, slowly but surely building a connection with Milo and his companion Lucy, but there are other mysterious things happening up there – bones being rearranged into different shapes – and always the question: who left the horses here in the first place?
Once Were Wild is a fascinating and heart-warming story about a woman and her resourcefulness and determination to do what’s right for two beautiful brumbies.
Leslie Scott’s love for horses and the bush began when she got her first pony at age 6. Her father, an experienced bushman taught her to listen, appreciate and be able to read the bush. When Leslie can’t get to the high country, she immerses herself in the rugged terrain of Mt Beckworth, a nature reserve seven minutes from her front gate. Leslie lives on a small property with her husband in historical Clunes, rural Victoria. They have a menagerie of animals. In her spare time she’s either riding her horses in the bush or hiking through it with her dog. For Leslie the bush is not just a place to visit – it’s her home.
This event is a BMI Community Cultural Project – Ballarat’s Oldest Cultural Institution

Melbourne Rare Book Week 24 Jul – 2 Aug 2026 | As BMI associated events are confirmed they will be listed HERE.

The Model Murder Amanda Hampson Don’t miss Amanda who will be in conversation with local radio presenter Prue Bentley talking about Amanda’s new book at BMI on Wednesday 27 May at 6.30pm A Tea Ladies Mystery A model vanishes – A man is murdered – and the Tea Ladies are back on the case. Sydney, 1968. In a shadowy

After the Noise Kerri Rogan Don’t miss Kerri who will be talking about her new book at BMI on Wednesday 13 May at 6.30pm Lee squinted in the sunlight and patted around her. It felt like a mattress and a dog. For the first time in months, she had slept in a bed. Oh, dear.
The Marriage Trap Victoria Purman Don’t miss Victoria who will be in conversation with radio presenter Prue Bentley at the BMI on Monday 11 May at 6pm In 1960s Australia, the scent of freedom is in the air… From bestselling Australian author, comes the story of a mother and her two daughters, set in the
Stella Day Out, Ballarat 5 November 2025 | As events are confirmed they will be listed HERE.
Rosemary’s New Releases and Recommendations | Author Talks – Live Music – Film – LIve Theatre – Twilight Talks – Message from the Chair – Ballarat Heritage Festival
Minerva's Secrets Night Tours
Tue 19 May with special visit to Lantern Vaults
Tour 1 at 7pm – Tour 2 at 9pm.
Linen & Lace Exhbition
Includes Devonshire Tea | $20
Sat & Sun 22, 23 Oct
10am-4pm
Remembrance Day:
A Surgeon Commander & A Leading Cook - Recent War Memoribilia
Wed 29 Oct & 5 Nov, 5.30pm.
Coming soon…
Rozzi Bazzani. Stella Day Out: Katia Ariel & Samah Sabawi, Rachael Johns
Coming soon…
Dianne Dempsey, Chrissie Bellbrae, Paula Gleeson, Rozzi Bazzani.
Coming in November…
Stella Day Out, Ballarat, Rachael Johns & Margaret Hickey
Australian Heritage Festival
Minerva's Secrets
25 April – Tour 1 at 7.30pm – fully booked
Tour 2 at 9.30pm – still tickets.
Spring Season, History Talks:
Ballarat's Henry Lawson - The Dragon's Den - Gold! Gold! Gold!
Wed 3, 17 & 24 September, 5.30pm.
Bubbly on arrival & Featuring quality items from our Vintage Shop | $60
The Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute 2026 Calendar
Featuring illustrations from our Heritage Book Collection $40
Your gift will be tax-deductible this financial year if you make it before June 30.
Like many organisations the BMI faces significant funding challenges.
2 course dinner & lots
of dancing