April 22 @ 2:30 pm - 4:30 pm Free Humffray Room Register now SHARC is heading to Ballarat We want to catch up with people with experience of alcohol, drugs or gambling challenges. Join SHARC for a relaxed and welcoming afternoon focused on the issues that matter most to you. Our purpose is twofold. We […]
April 22 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm $9 – $13 Humffray Room Get Tickets Ballarat's Avenue of Honour & A look behind names on the Avenue plaques Speakers: Amethyst May & Gary Snowden Topic information to come... About the speakers Amethyst May Amethyst May is a student at Mount Clear College who has a passion […]
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 […]
April 23 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Minerva Room French Drama/Thriller Following the disappearance of glamorous housewife Evelyne Ducat (Valeria Bruni Tedeschi), the lives of five people who are linked to her are brought together to devastating effect as the local police investigate the case. Only the Animals starts off as an intimate rural […]
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 […]
April 29 @ 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm $9 – $13 Humffray Room Get Tickets Dickie Larsen's Pumpkin & Other Stories Speaker: Geoff Carr, author Spike is a young boy in 1950s Australia, surrounded by sprawling landscapesand a menagerie of animals. Together with his friends Leany and Riddy, they do what all young boys in […]
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 […]
April 30 @ 6:30 pm - 8:00 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets When lemons give you life Anna Johnston 'Smart, authentic and full of heart' - Graeme Simsion From the author of The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife Redemption is a dish best served warm... Retired Michelin-star chef Griff Barlow has lost his appetite for […]
May 3 @ 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm $79 – $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 […]
May 4 @ 7:00 pm - 9:00 pm $21 Minerva Space Get Tickets Presented by Pub Cinemas: In the Shadow of the Gallows In 1873 a frail figure was walked to the gallows at the Adelaide Gaol. She had been convicted of murdering her husband, and there would be de no reprise. The hanging of […]
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, […]
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
