11/11/2023 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm Free What if staying with the man you love meant leaving everything behind? There is little joy for Eliza, the well-educated wife of a dissolute cavalry officer, living in the colony of New South Wales in the early 1830s. Charmed by the attentions of a handsome stockman, the tempestuous ex-convict, Martin Cash, she flees her loveless…
14/11/2023 @ 2:00 pm - 19/12/2023 @ 3:00 pm $10 Tours occur weekly at 2pm 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, to do so contact: katrina@ballaratmi.org.au Book here Accessibility The Britannia Theatre, 1920 | Image from the BMI archive…
15/11/2023 @ 7:00 pm - 13/12/2023 @ 8:30 pm Free Weekly classes 7pm Wednesdays 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. Free for Kadampa members…
16/11/2023 @ 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm $10 An isolated, empty ski resort in the off-season. A woman who doesn't want to be found. A man who may not be who he appears to be. A game of cat and mouse - with deadly consequences. On the run from a controlling husband and his underworld associates in Melbourne, Charlotte has adopted a new…
17/11/2023 @ 6:00 pm - 10:00 pm $299 Once Upon a Time is a five-course degustation matched with a superb collection of wines, delivered in the basement of the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute, a room that was intended to be a restaurant but never came to be. Now, 153 years after its creation, we’re bringing it to life for one night with Peasant’s signature…
26/11/2023 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm $25 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 boasts a fascinating history that is just waiting to…
26/11/2023 @ 9:00 pm - 10:00 pm $25 Special Offer November 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 boasts a fascinating history that is just…
01/12/2023 @ 9:30 am - 3:30 pm $100 – $1000 Take part in this important BMI fundraiser 9 holes of golf (approximately 2.5hrs) followed by lunch, an auction, presentations and then the option to play another 9 holes of golf and enjoy daylight saving on the picturesque golf course. This is a fund raising day for BMI and an opportunity to reward your people with…
02/12/2023 - 03/12/2023 Free Image: above Clem Onojeghuo Saturday 2 & Sunday 3 December, 10am - 2pm This event is an important fundraiser for the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute. Venue: Library, Ground Floor Book Donations In the lead-up to the Book Sale we are happy to take book donations to assist in raising funds for this grand old beauty. We…
03/12/2023 @ 10:00 am - 2:00 pm Come along and experience our Maker Market & Book Sale just in time for Christmas: Calling for stallholders | Expression of interest > Free entry View our stallholders. Stallholders Book Sale We will also be hosting a book sale in the Library on Saturday 2 & Sunday 3 December. These books have been donated to…
11/12/2023 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm Free Come along to help us welcome the festive season. We will be joined by the Ballarat Singers & The Little Brass Band for some joyous Caroling as well as a thank you to our volunteers and to congratulate our fundraisers. The Ballarat Singers The Little Brass Band This is a free event, it would be…
14/12/2023 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Ireland, 2020, 95 min. Written and Directed by Philip Doherty Deadpan Dark Irish Comedy To see out the year 2023, we turn to a pitch-black, irreverent comedy about a troubled young man returning to his fictional Irish hometown of Ballylough, in the real County Cavan. A despairing prodigal son seeking redemption for his sins, he…
Minerva's Secrets Night Tours
Tue 19 May with special visit to Lantern Vaults
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
