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20/05/2025 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm $11.78 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.
20/05/2025 @ 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm $11.78 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.
21/05/2025 @ 11:00 am - 12:00 pm $11.78 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.
21/05/2025 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Free – $12 – $12 Lending Library 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 our daily…
23/05/2025 @ 6:30 pm - 8:15 pm $23.05 Get tickets 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 shown at the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute in 1896! In…
23/05/2025 @ 8:30 pm - 10:45 pm $23.05 Get tickets 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 shown at the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute in 1896! In…
24/05/2025 @ 10:00 am - 11:00 am Get Tickets Whispers from the Garden - a ticketed immersive performance blending live readings, storytelling, and theatrical atmosphere. Journey through letters and legacy from figures like George Longley and Ferdinard von Mueller, revealing the poetic and powerful language of nature. A celebration of art, history, and the living world, all under one roof. Get Tickets:…
24/05/2025 @ 10:00 am - 12:20 pm $23.05 Get tickets Returning for one morning 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 shown at the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute in 1896! In…
24/05/2025 @ 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm $7 Get tickets Heritage Conversations: A life in photos - John Gollings John Gollings | Photo: Heide Smith. As one of Australia's most influential architectural photographers, John Gollings has changed the way audiences see the built environment to reveal stories about its character and personality. From architecture to advertising and back again, John became the 'go-to…
24/05/2025 @ 8:00 pm - 9:00 pm $15 Get tickets Frank Weston: The Wizard Oil Prince Wizard Oil & Wonders: The Peculiar Legacy of Frank Weston the Wizard Oil Prince Come join us for a magical evening at the Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute! Discover the mysterious world of Frank Weston, the legendary Wizard Oil salesman. Learn about his strange concoctions and their surprising effects.…
25/05/2025 @ 2:00 pm - 5:30 pm $31.25 – $62.00 Minerva Space Get tickets Benefit concert for the Conservation Ecology Centre Please join us for a very special and sugarplum-sweet afternoon of music that raises funds for the ecosystems of the Victoria’s precious Otway Ranges. We’ve planned a sublime late-Autumn Sunday afternoon for you that is almost as good as Otways bird song or summer…
28/05/2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets The Limestone Road Nicole Alexander. The Only Way Forward is through the Past... A Modern Australian Classic - Christine Wells. Known for her captivating depictions of historical rural Australian life, bestselling author Nicole Alexander returns with her twelfth novel, The Limestone Road - a stirring narrative about one young soldier’s courageous…
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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