15/08/2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $8 – $11 NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK | The Secret History of Sharks with Professor John Long.
20/08/2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets The White Crow Michael Robotham She upholds the law. Her family breaks it. 'A twisty-turny, second-guessing great read with a killer ending' - Herald Sun for 'When You Are Mine' Michael Robotham Beloved character Police Constable Philomena McCarthy, from When You Are Mine, returns in a heart stopping thriller from the…
01/09/2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets High RiseGabriel Bergmoser 'An expertly executed shot of adrenaline' - Laura McCluskey'Grabs you by the throat and hurls you striaght into the action - Brutally good fun' - Michael Trant Bestselling author Gabriel Bergmoser returns with his most electrifying novel yet, High Rise – an adrenaline charged, heart-stopping, action-packed masterpiece that…
03/09/2025 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm $9.73 – $13.83 Bar open at 5pm $9.73 – $13.83 Humffray Room Get tickets Ballarat's Henry Lawson, Unknown facts presented by Hedley Thomson The young Henry visited Ballarat, specifically to ‘bone up’ on the happenings at Eureka on Sunday 3rd December 1854; he proceeded to write numerous poems and prose pieces about the ‘battle’ and – more so…
04/09/2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm $11.78 Presented in Partnership with The Wheeler Centre September 4 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm $11.78 Minerva Space Get Tickets Image courtesy The Wheeler Centre The Eye of the Dragonfly: A Life Seeing the World Through Sport. by Tracey Lee Holmes With honesty and insight, Tracey Lee Holmes looks back on a pioneering career and…
06/09/2025 @ 10:00 am - 07/09/2025 @ 2:00 pm Free Lending Library Books priced from $1 - more for collectable items. Don't miss our book sale this weekend. Admission and parking are free (one hour on Saturday, all day Sunday). There are hundreds of books - some of which are in gently used condition and some in mint condition - and many start at a…
14/09/2025 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm $35 – $50 plus bkg. fee Minerva Space Get Tickets Take part in this important BMI fundraiser The BMI vintage & Pre-loved Shop are showcasing their wares Make time for a lovely get together. A glass of champagne on entry with music accompaniment: Fashion Parade Models will be displaying outfits from the shop. We are raising money for the…
17/09/2025 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm $9.73 – $13.83 Bar open at 5pm $9.73 – $13.83 Humffray Room Get tickets Saving Dragons: The Life and Times of Russell Goldfield (Louey Yeung Man) Jack by Dianne Dempsey Russell Jack, the visionary founder of the internationally renowned Golden Dragon Museum, spent his life breaking barriers and preserving the history of the Chinese Australian community. Growing up…
18/09/2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets The Florentine QuiltChrissie Bellbrae ‘Breath-taking settings, strong female characters, mystery, intrigue and romance ... The Florentine Quilt has it all, and will keep you up turning the pages long after your usual bedtime.’ - Pamela Cook, author, writing coach and podcaster. 'Three women connected in time to a medieval quilt and an ancient…
24/09/2025 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm $9.73 – $13.83 Bar open at 5pm $9.73 – $13.83 Humffray Room Get tickets Gold! Gold! A comparison between the Ballarat & Bendigo Goldfields. An overview of the production of gold and its implications from the goldrush era of the 1850s up until today in both the Ballarat and Bendigo regions. Historian Dr Phil Roberts will provide a…
25/09/2025 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets Boney Creek: A ThrillerPaula Gleeson 'Smart, twisty...thriller, you won't want to miss...' - Sarah Pekkanen, #1 New York Times bestselling author of House of Glass When several small-town locals die under mysterious circumstances, an aspiring journalist is determined to prove the connection between them, only to discover the dangerous secrets they…
01/10/2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets One NightRozzi Bazzani One Night - Two Bodies - Three Crimes When Detective Sergeant Bec Harpin answers a call for help from her friend, barrister Carolyn Moorhouse, she suddenly finds herself on the wrong side of an investigation that threatens to derail her career. Not only does Bec have to decide how…
Minerva's Secrets Night Tours
Tue 19 May with special visit to Lantern Vaults
Tour 1 at 7pm – Tour 2 at 9pm.
Remembrance Day:
A Surgeon Commander & A Leading Cook - Recent War Memoribilia
Wed 29 Oct & 5 Nov, 5.30pm.
Calling for Pre-loved books
These donation assist in our Library Fundraising Activities
We can take delivery during regular Library operating hours. See website footer.
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
Pre-Sale $60 from 6 Aug to 9 Aug - $65 thereafter
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
