11/11/2022 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm $69 Eric Bogle is an internationally known and respected songwriter. For nearly 40 years he has toured the world with his music, inflicting his songs on innocent bystanders from outback Australia to the streets of New York and many places in between. During those 40 years he has embarked on eight tours of North America, 11…
12/11/2022 @ 8:00 pm - 9:30 pm $79 Starring Dave Hole, Shane Pacey and Geoff Achison. BB, FREDDIE and ALBERT represent the pinnacle of blues guitar virtuosity. They used a minimum to create the maximum blues effect, and together they set the standard to which all others aspire. And the KINGS were superb vocalists, ripping into the very soul of the blues. Such…
16/11/2022 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $10 Having sold over 700,000 copies of her books, Fleur has solidified her position as one of the country’s favourite storytellers. Australia’s leading rural literature author, Fleur’s books become best sellers almost as quickly as they hit the shelves. Her story lines are drawn from inspiration from having lived and worked for much of her life on…
06/12/2022 @ 5:30 pm - 7:30 pm $10 About Once Were Wild: When local Clunes resident Leslie Scott discovers two brumbies living on the rugged Mount Beckworth, she almost can't believe it. Brumbies don't live in Central Victoria, and the terrain is not suited to them, so how did they get there? The horses are scared and unused to people, but the mountain…
08/12/2022 @ 7:00 pm - 9:30 pm Filmed in Australia, USA, France, Germany and Japan, this documentary examines the contemporary culture rooted in Mad Max (1979) and Mad Max 2: The Road Warrior (1981) both of which became instant international cult films during the 1980s with their dystopian and post-apocalyptic themes and imagery. The film explores the eccentric world of the fans from around the globe, their costumes, and their machines. From the…
09/12/2022 @ 10:00 am - 23/12/2022 @ 3:00 pm Image: Nyibol Deng Exhibition of Works Prior to the BMI Maker Market & Book Sale Nyibol will have an exhibition of works on display in the Library. You will be able to get a preview of the product she will have for purchase on market-day. You will be able to purchase these works and all commission…
17/12/2022 @ 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Come along and experience our Annual Book Sale today & tomorrow. Free entry Book Sale We will be hosting a book sale in the Library. These books have been donated to the BMI by members and the Ballarat community to assist in raising funds for Ballarat’s Oldest Cultural Institution. Prices range from $1 to $10…
18/12/2022 @ 9:00 am - 2:00 pm Come along and experience our Maker Market & Book Sale and do your Christmas Shopping: Calling for stallholders | Expression of interest > Free entry View our current stallholders Stallholders Book Sale We will be hosting a book sale in the Library. These books have been donated to the BMI by members and the Ballarat…
01/02/2023 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm It’s not uncommon to feel we are wandering aimlessly through life. Searching for, but never truly finding, the contentment and happiness we seek. What have you daydreamed about and wished for in your life? For some it’s a large house, well paid job or fast car. For others it’s reputation, good looks, power, excitement or…
08/02/2023 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Free 8 February – The Red Planet & Ballarat’s Lady Astronomer | Graeme Hood & Dr Anne Beggs-Sunter Bar open from 5.00pm | Talk starts at 5.30pm Graeme Hood is an amateur Astronomer who first turned to the skies as a young boy in 1957 to observe the Sputnik spacecraft. He has maintained a lifelong interest…
09/02/2023 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Italy, 1954, b/w, 94 min. Directed by Federico Fellini Fellini Classic Neo-Realism Starring Giulietta Masina, Anthony Quinn and Richard Basehart, and produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti, La Strada was Fellini’s 4th film and ensured his international reputation. Told in a fabulist style with a focus on love and jealousies, it is set…
15/02/2023 @ 5:30 pm - 7:00 pm Free A regional Commonwealth Games & creating great teams | Steve Moneghetti AM & Gerard FitzGerald Bar open in the Humffray Room from 5.00pm | Talk starts in the Minerva Room at 5.30pm Steve Moneghetti AM Steve Moneghetti AM Gerard FitzGerald Gerard FitzGerald Tickets/bookings. Free | We are pleased to advise that this series is being…
Trivia Night Fundraiser
26 August Doors open 6.45pm | Tickets also available at the door
$25 per person | $20 BMI members
Minerva's Secrets Night Tours
Tue 19 May with special visit to Lantern Vaults
Tour 1 at 7pm – Tour 2 at 9pm.
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
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.
