The Reading Room (2pm in the Library for a start @ 2.30pm – 4pm)
NOVEMBER SESSION
Past the Shallows | Favel Parrett
Brothers Joe, Harry and Miles live with their father, an abalone fisherman, on the south-east coast of Tasmania. Everyday their dad battles the unpredictable ocean to make a living. He is a hard man, a bitter drinker who harbours a devastating secret that is destroying him.
Unlike Joe, Harry and Miles are too young to leave home and so are forced to live under the dark cloud of their father’s mood, trying to stay as invisible as possible whenever he is home. Harry, the youngest, is the most vulnerable and it seems he bears the brunt of his father’s anger…
This event is a BMI Community Art Project – Ballarat’s Oldest Cultural Institution
May unfolded as another vibrant and exciting month for the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute with new activities and visitors weaving throughout an already busy regular schedule. From the Board’s perspective, it was a month that truly demonstrated both the strength of our cultural identity and the challenges that accompany our growing momentum. I hope many of
Executive Manager Update – Nev Ivey | Author Talks Most of you know Rosemary as calmly going about her business, recommending good reads, understanding your reading habits knowing what you’ve read and what you like, accommodate you when you want a series by a certain writer. The truth is like an effortlessly gliding duck, her
Stage Ready -Industry Workshops. Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute recently delivered the first practical workshop for Stage Ready, our new live production and events training initiative focused on creating practical pathways into the industry for regional participants. Held in the Minerva Ballroom, the workshop introduced participants to staging, lighting, audio, venue operations and live production workflows within
The Second Wife Ali Lowe The Fairchild family have it all. But as Sydney Harbour Bridge starts to disappear in the rear-view window of the luxury liner, so too does any pretence that this is a happy family. Unbeknownst to his children, CEO and patriarch Irving had planned to use the cruise to reveal his
New Releases, Recommendations & Author Talks
Stella Prize Announcing the 2026 Stella Prize Winner “This is a thoughtful, deliberative work, and one of the best graphic novels I have read this year.” Sydney Morning Herald / The Age “A meditative graphic novel laced with horror and humour Lai’s drawings come alive in these sequences, which crescendo to a red-hot climax, with
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
