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20/11/2025 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm Minerva Room Get Tickets The Courageous Life of Weary Dunlop: Surgeon, prisoner-of-war, life -saving leader and legend of the Thai-Burma RailwayPeter FitzSimons Australia's bestselling non-fiction writer Peter FitzSimons AM will be in Ballarat to celebrate his latest book about Weary Dunlop.Peter FitzSimons AM is Australia's bestselling non-fiction writer, and for the past 39 years has…
02/12/2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets It's a Scorcher: Tales of the Australian Summer William McInnes Join actor and bestselling author William McInnes in conversation to talk all about his new book It’s a Scorcher: Tales of the Australian Summer – a collection of hilarious and heartwarming stories about those magical, roastingly hot summer months. There is something about…
06/12/2025 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Free Lending Library 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 $5. And it’s not just books – there are DVDs, photo…
January 28 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets Geoff Parkes Susi Fox The First Law of the Bush Geoff Parkes From the author of When the Deep, Dark Bush Swallows You Whole and The First Law of the Bush. Set in the 1990s in New Zealand’s King Country, The First Law of the Bush is the scintillating new rural noir from the author…
February 14 @ 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm $10.00 Minerva Space Get tickets My Sweet Monster: A Cautionary Tale of DesireTori BaxterBook launch for My Sweet Monster: A Cautionary Tale of Desire and live conversation event with Author Tori Baxter and Journalist Abby Dinham around motherhood, survival and domestic violence partnerships. My Sweet Monster | Tori Baxter About ToriTori Baxter is a Melbourne-based writer whose…
February 25 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets The One Remaining Paula McLean The One Remaining is a captivating story of overcoming loss, finding the courage to trust those who believe in us, and the self-healing power of writing our stories. Hilary Mason is thirteen when her sister Elaine disappears. She fears someone close to the family is involved but…
March 10 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets Kate Mildenhall J.P. Pomare The Hiding Place Kate Mildenhall From the Author of Skylarking, The Mother Fault and The Hummingbird Effect They’re good people. Why shouldn’t they get what they deserve? When Lou sees an ad for a long-abandoned mining town up for sale, it doesn’t take her long to convince her…
March 24 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets The Romanov Secret Chrissie Bellbrae A priceless Fabergé jewel. An empire on the brink of revolution. A love to dangerous to reveal. A celebrated artist’s painting holds clues to long-held family secrets and lives under threat, long after the fall of the Russian Empire. 1898: When the legitimacy of Grand Duchess…
April 14 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets Peg Rankin: A Journey of Faith and Resilience Peter Rankin SDB As told by Gerardine Christou This is the story of Peg, an ordinary woman who was “made of extraordinary stuff ” Margaret (Peg) Rankin is remembered by all who knew and loved her as a woman of kindness with a…
April 21 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets The Drowning Fiona Lowe Authentically Australian, Fiona Lowe’s stories are often triggered by a secret or a mystery, and they explore the themes of family, community and second chances. Described as gripping, thought-provoking, heart-warming and ultimately uplifting, Lowe's books have been praised for their emotional depth. A body on the beach.…
April 29 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm $9 – $13 Humffray Room Get Tickets Dickie Larsen's Pumpkin & Other Stories Speaker: Geoff Carr, author Spike is a young boy in 1950s Australia, surrounded by sprawling landscapesand a menagerie of animals. Together with his friends Leany and Riddy, they do what all young boys in the bush do: make their own fun. From chooks in outhouses,…
April 30 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets When lemons give you life Anna Johnston 'Smart, authentic and full of heart' - Graeme Simsion From the author of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife Redemption is a dish best served warm... Retired Michelin-star chef Griff Barlow has lost his appetite for life. Widowed, grieving and living in an aged care…
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.
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