Rock 'n' Rolling with Our Stars: Featuring James Bookman Get your dancing shoes out for a night of Rock n Roll feat. music by JAMES BOOKMAN and DJ BOZ. All funds raised towards the Ballarat Foundation Dancing With Our Stars 2024 This Rock n Roll night is getting bigger! If you are free this Saturday […]
May 15 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm $8 – $12 THIS EVENT HAS NOW BEEN CANCELLED This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895, the first screenings […]
May 17 @ 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm $28.69 Explore tales of the weird and supernatural – the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute at night. Looking for a unique way to explore Ballarat’s rich history and culture? Look no further than the Ballaarat Mechanics Institute’s Night Tours! This beautiful heritage building dates back to the 1860s and […]
May 17 @ 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm $28.69 Explore tales of the weird and supernatural – the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute at night. Looking for a unique way to explore Ballarat’s rich history and culture? Look no further than the Ballaarat Mechanics Institute’s Night Tours! This beautiful heritage building dates back to the 1860s and […]
May 18 @ 7:00 pm - 11:30 pm $20 – $30 Returning for one night only The Vegas 70 was once the most popular cinema in Ballarat. The Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute and Showbiz Cinemas have collaborated to bring back the Vegas for the Ballarat Heritage Festival. The first moving pictures (called cinematograph) in Ballarat were […]
May 19 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm $55 Australia's biggest and best comedy spectacular is setting off again on its annual road trip around the country! Showcasing the finest talents from the 2024 Melbourne International Comedy Festival, we're delivering a dose of laughter right to your doorstep! Featuring a line-up of beloved comedy royalty […]
A colourful history of the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute and it’s people. By appointment only, (to organise a volunteer guide we require 24hrs notice). Group Tours: Group tours can also be accommodated on other days.
May 21 @ 7:30 pm - 8:30 pm $28.69 Explore tales of the weird and supernatural – the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute at night. Looking for a unique way to explore Ballarat’s rich history and culture? Look no further than the Ballaarat Mechanics Institute’s Night Tours! This beautiful heritage building dates back to the 1860s and […]
May 21 @ 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm $28.69 Explore tales of the weird and supernatural – the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute at night. Looking for a unique way to explore Ballarat’s rich history and culture? Look no further than the Ballaarat Mechanics Institute’s Night Tours! This beautiful heritage building dates back to the 1860s and […]
May 22 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm $8 – $12 This special edition of our regular Twilight Talks series will feature speakers discussing the history of cinema in Ballarat, complimenting our free exhibition. Just a year after the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph in 1895, the first screenings were held at the Mechanics' Institute, […]
May 22 @ 6:00 pm - 9:30 pm $106.14 An all-drinking, all-eating exploration of the booze-fuelled birth of colonial Ballarat. Starting with a native botanical cocktail and snacks at Ballarat’s newest distillery, Itinerant Spirits, your expert guides - award-winning food and wine writers Richard Cornish, Max Allen and Ballarats own Zac Hill - will lead […]
May 22 @ 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm These classes offer simple, practical methods to improve the quality of our life and develop inner peace through meditation and Buddhist teachings. Classes consist of two guided meditations and a teaching to help us solve our daily problems and find the lasting happiness we seek. Beginners welcome. […]
Minerva's Secrets Night Tours
Night Tours
Fri 31 Oct – Sat 15 Nov
& Fri 12 Dec
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
