May 27 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets The Model Murder Amanda Hampson 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 city lane, a young man is shot dead. His glamorous fiancée, a rising fashion model, disappears without a trace.…
June 17 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.00 Humffray Room Get Tickets The Palace of Lost Virture Anthea Hodgson Anthea will be in conversation with local author A J Lyndon At its core, The Palace of Lost Virtue is a story of female friendship and resilience. Blending real historical events with beautifully written fiction, the novel shines a light on overlooked chapters of…
June 23 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets Where Truth Ends Mark Smith What if everything you believed in was a lie? Truth and betrayal collide in the new Mark Smith thriller, perfect for fans of Christian White and Lisa Jewell. Meg Maher thought she was doing the right thing. Now she's on the run. When a peaceful climate…
July 1 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.00 Humffray Room Get Tickets For All The Dead Girls Sherryl Clark Sherryl will be in conversation with author Tracey Rolfe Tough and gutsy PI Lou Alcott returns with a terrifyingly gritty new case that takes her deep into the dark web. While juggling a missing person case with unexpected ties close to home and saving…
July 15 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.00 Humffray Room Get Tickets Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Seen Again is a modern companion through matrescence, the profound transition of becoming a mother. Matrescence is a biological, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual transformation that can leave mothers without the language or support to make sense of who they are. Many feel disconnected or …
July 20 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.00 Humffray Room Get Tickets Every Time She Wakes Petronella McGovern Petronella will be in conversation with local author Paula Gleeson An unputdownable thriller from the bestselling author of Six Minutes and The Last Trace. Every Time She Wakes is a taut, time-bending thriller about family, identity and defying fate. When careers counsellor Suze and her family are…
July 29 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.00 Humffray Room Get Tickets Lest Angels Weep Phillipa Nefri Clark Phillipa will be in conversation with local actor Kate Atkinson The new case is cold. Stone cold. Until another murder with striking similarities rocks a remote outback town. Detective Liz Moorland is desperate to get out of Melbourne. Away from the aftermath of shocking events…
August 3 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.00 Humffray Room Get Tickets Cold River Margaret Hickey Margaret will be in conversation with author Gregory Flood Deep in the mountains, secrets grow deadly... Detective Constable Sally White knows how easily hikers can go missing in Victoria’s high country. But there’s something about the disappearance of Louis Taylor, a young man lost up Mount Viking,…
August 12 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.00 Humffray Room Get Tickets The Frock Shop Sophie Green Sophie will be in conversation with radio presenter Jane Nield Meet the Ladies of The Frock Shop Where clothes are just the start of the story Australian bestseller Sophie Green returns with a sparkling story about the beauty of the second-hand, the power of second chances, and becoming…
September 2 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.00 Humffray Room Get Tickets Neighbourhood Watch Lauren Williams What Rhymes With Murder? Penny Tangey Neighbourhood Watch ‘Neighbourhood Watch is a sharp, stylish thriller with a killer opening hook, a generous dose of dark humour, and a truly distinctive voice.’ Christian White The annual Curlew Street scarecrow competition is back, and the residents of Melbourne’s inner north…
September 5 @ 10:00 am - September 6 @ 2:00 pm Free Books priced from $5 - more for collectable items. Discover your next great read at The BMI Library Book Sale! Browse an incredible selection of titles at unbeatable prices. 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…
September 23 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.00 Humffray Room Get Tickets Things With Teeth By Moonlight: A Miscellany P.A. Swanborough Pam will be in conversation with Rebecca Fletcher Things With Teeth by Moonlight is an illustrated multi-genre collection of flash, micro-fiction and short stories covering loss, revenge, affection, and spending too much time in cafes. Human and other creatures in urban, forested,…
Trivia Night Fundraiser
26 August Doors open 6.45pm | Tickets also available at the door
$25 per person | $20 BMI members
Minerva's Secrets Night Tours
Tue 19 May with special visit to Lantern Vaults
Tour 1 at 7pm – Tour 2 at 9pm.
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
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.
