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  • Rare Book Week Melbourne | Rare Books in Mechanics’ Institutes: Uncover Hidden Treasures

    Prahran Mechanics' Institute Victorian History Library 39 Saint Edmonds Road, Prahran, Victoria, Australia

    30/07/2025 @ 6:30 pm - 7:30 pm Prahran Mechanics' Institute Victorian History Library Rare Books in Mechanics' Institutes Join our expert panel featuring librarians from three historic Victorian institutions: the PMI Victorian History Library (est. 1854), Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute (est. 1859), and Athenaeum Library (est. 1839). Delve into the rich history of these community learning hubs, explore rare books and materials in…

  • Rare books including Darwin's Origin of Species at BMI Collection

    Rare Books: Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute | Rare Book Week

    Heritage Reading Room Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC, Australia

    July 24 @ 10:00 am - August 2 @ 3:00 pm Free Open during regular Library operating hours - See footer below - Closed Friday 23 July & Saturday 24 July for Special Event. Our Heritage Collection Volunteers are showcasing a small display of rare books from our Collection. Step back in time at Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute's Rare Book Week, running 24 July to 2 August. Explore…

    Free
  • Pressed dried flowering plant specimen with roots on paper

    Arresting the Ephemeral: The Beautiful Usefulness of a Victorian Herbarium

    BMI - Humffray Room 117-119 Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, VIC, Australia

    July 24 @ 11:00 am - 12:30 pm Free Humffray Room Get Tickets The Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute is custodian of the most intact surviving set of the Educational Collections of Victorian Plants (1874–1876). A herbarium and series of books compiled by the first Chief Botanist of the Colony of Victoria, Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller. This presentation reveals the history and significance of this remarkable collection,…

    Free

  • Pressed dried flowering plant specimen with roots on paper

    150 Years of Botanical Communication

    Lending Library Sturt Street, Ballarat Central, Victoria, Australia

    August 7 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm $15 Get Tickets Before digital databases and photography, how did we learn about the natural world? This Biodiversity Week, discover the BMI’s rare set of Ferdinand von Mueller’s Educational Collections of Victorian Plants (1874–1876). Designed to “diffuse information on the native vegetation” across Victoria, this historic herbarium and book collection reveals how early scientific communication cultivated…

    $15