May 6 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm $9 – $13 Humffray Room Get Tickets What We Watched Before Cinema: ‘Entertainments’ at the Mechanics’ Hall, 1863–1919 Speaker: Ellen Becker When the Mechanics’ Hall opened in 1863, the people of Ballarat flocked to see some strange and spectacular contemporary entertainments — mesmerists, automata, waxworks, human curiosities, […]
April 15 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Free – $12 Lending Library, ground floor These classes offer simple, practical methods to improve the quality of our life and develop inner peace through meditation and Buddhist teachings. The in-person setting fosters a supportive community and offers real-time interaction with the teacher for personalized guidance. Classes […]
May 8 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm $48.79 Minerva Space An epic burlesque fantasy parody where Middle-earth is reimagined through glitter, glamour, and glorious mischief. One Tease to Rule Them All is a theatrical burlesque revue inspired by legendary fantasy worlds and the archetypes we know and love, hobbits, heroes, wizards, warriors, and shadowy […]
May 9 @ 10:00 am - 11:30 am $35 Insert venue... Get Tickets The ultimate live gig experience for young families. Adult friendly kids music played live on stage by real musicians? We got you!!The ABC Kids TV favourites and ARIA winners will entertain the whole family with the most wholesome live gig there is.Funny […]
May 8 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm $48.79 Minerva Space An epic burlesque fantasy parody where Middle-earth is reimagined through glitter, glamour, and glorious mischief. One Tease to Rule Them All is a theatrical burlesque revue inspired by legendary fantasy worlds and the archetypes we know and love, hobbits, heroes, wizards, warriors, and shadowy […]
May 11 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets The Marriage Trap Victoria Purman In 1960s Australia, the scent of freedom is in the air... From bestselling Australian author, comes the story of a mother and her two daughters, set in the tumultuous extraordinary decade of the 1960s. A time of […]
May 13 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets After the Noise Kerri Rogan Lee squinted in the sunlight and patted around her. It felt like a mattress and a dog. For the first time in months, she had slept in a bed. Oh, dear. Moose. She had fed her a […]
April 15 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Free – $12 Lending Library, ground floor These classes offer simple, practical methods to improve the quality of our life and develop inner peace through meditation and Buddhist teachings. The in-person setting fosters a supportive community and offers real-time interaction with the teacher for personalized guidance. Classes […]
May 14 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Minerva Room Noir 'Dog Movie' A melancholic dead-pan drama about Lang, a former celebrity musician and stunt rider who, chastened by ten years in jail for manslaughter, returns to his dusty post-industrial hometown to find it run-down and over-run by abandoned dogs. Lang joins a group of […]
May 16 @ 8:30 am - 6:00 pm $140 – $150 Minerva Space Get Tickets The Victorian Occult Conference: 'Mercurialia' A day of finely curated lectures on Western Esotericism also featuring an occult market, speaker panel and door prizes. This year's theme is "Mercurialia"; celebrating and exploring all things Hermetic in Western esotericism. The Victorian […]
April 24 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm $27.50 Meet at the BMI entrance Get Tickets 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 […]
October 31 @ 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm $27.50 Meet at the BMI entrance Get Tickets 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 […]
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
