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07/12/2025 @ 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Free Minerva Space Come along and experience our Christmas Market & Book Sale just in time for the Festive SeasonFREE ENTRY Our Stallholders Book SaleWe will also be hosting a book sale in the Library on Saturday 6 & Sunday 7 December. These books have been donated to the BMI by members and the Ballarat community…
10/12/2025 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Free – $12 – $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 include guided meditations and teachings to help us solve…
11/12/2025 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Musical Doco ‘The south is the home of all things queer,’ says scholar Zandria Robinson as we witness the exhilarating jam-packed story of Little Richard’s complex life and musical career, ending only in 2020. Born in 1932 as Richard Wayne Penniman, by 1955 Little Richard was declared a world rock ‘n’ roll star with his…
12/12/2025 @ 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 building dates back to the 1860s and boasts a…
13/12/2025 @ 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm $45 Minerva Space Get Tickets Christmas Holiday Gala Get ready to sleigh this festive season with three of Australia’s sharpest comedic minds in one unmissable night of stand-up mayhem! Brett Blake Brett Blake brings his trademark mullet-powered chaos and high-octane storytelling that’ll have you laughing so hard you’ll spill your eggnog. Kirsty Webeck Kirsty Webeck - The reigning…
January 10 @ 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm $59 – $129 Humffray Room Get Tickets DIY Workshop | Turkish Mosaic Lamp Bring colour, light, and creativity together in this hands-on Turkish Mosaic Lamp Workshop hosted by ArtIstanbul, right in the heart of Ballarat.Guided by our friendly instructors, you’ll design and build your very own mosaic lamp using pre-cut glass and low-fume adhesive – no cutting or…
January 12 @ 6:00 pm - 7:00 pm $10.75 – $46.63 Insert venue... Get Tickets Darkness & Delight Jerry Wong (solo piano) International pianist and Associate Professor of Music - Piano and Head of Keyboard at the Melbourne Conservatorium of Music, Jerry Wong presents - Darkness & Delight - a captivating journey through the contrasting worlds of the piano. From the brooding depths of Liszt and…
January 23 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm $49.65 Minerva Space Get Tickets This event was designed to bring world class quality jazz music to Ballarat, where we frequently have to travel to find music of such high quality. Billy Hinde is a homegrown Ballarat Musician who has played with many great big bands around Victoria including the Melbourne Youth Jazz Orchestra, JazzLab Orchestra,…
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…
January 28 @ 7:00 pm - 8:15 pm $25 Minerva Space Living with inner peace is not something we have to wait for. It is something we can actively cultivate every day. Our mind has incredible power. It can create stress and unease, or it can support a life filled with stability, joy, and meaning. In this course, inspired by Buddha’s teachings, we will explore how…
February 4 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Free – $12 – $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 include guided meditations and teachings to help us solve…
February 11 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Free – $12 – $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 include guided meditations and teachings to help us solve…
Minerva's Secrets Night Tours
Tue 19 May with special visit to Lantern Vaults
Tour 1 at 7pm – Tour 2 at 9pm.
Remembrance Day:
A Surgeon Commander & A Leading Cook - Recent War Memoribilia
Wed 29 Oct & 5 Nov, 5.30pm.
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
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
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.
2 course dinner & lots
of dancing
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