03/08/2025 @ 2:30 pm - 8:30 pm $8 – $10 Minerva Space Program Herald Sun Aria - Heat 1 - 2.30pm-4.30pmHerald Sun Aria - Heat 2 - 6.30pm-8.30pm140 Singers vying for their place in the semi-final, and ultimately their place in theprestigious Herald Sun Aria Final.This is an afternoon and evening of incredible singing and passionate operatic ariasperfromed by the best of Australia's emerging talent.…
04/08/2025 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm $8 – $10 Minerva Space Program Herald Sun Aria - Semi Final Our premier aria event. This is the event that has helped launch the careers of some of Australia and New Zealand's most successful operatic stars, including our Patron, Dame Kirite Kanawa! Tonight, experience the pure magic of Opera with the stars of tomorrow. Six of the…
06/08/2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 TBA Get Tickets The Occupation A Woman's Voice Chloe Adams Alli Sinclair 'Assured, deft, sophisticated, Chloe Adams is the real deal' - Emily Bitto A sweeping romantic adventure based on true events of the women's liberation movement The Occupation | Chloe Adams In the autumn of 1949, two women convene in the parlour of an…
06/08/2025 @ 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…
10/08/2025 @ 2:00 pm - 4:00 pm $21 – $26.13 Get Tickets The Little Brass Band an award-winning Goldfields Region Brass Quintet . The Little Brass Band presents a selection of cool jazz and popular tunes. The Bar will be open and complimentary snacks. This is a fundraiser for the BMI. The first half is cool Jazz ranging from New Orleans classics to upbeat…
13/08/2025 @ 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…
15/08/2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $8 – $11 NATIONAL SCIENCE WEEK | The Secret History of Sharks with Professor John Long.
16/08/2025 @ 7:30 pm - 10:00 pm $69.90 Get Tickets Live & intimate. Get ready Australia for a Night To Remember as Australian heartthob Craig McLachlan brings his unique & exciting Live & Intimate stage show to theatre’s and venues across Australia. Craig McLachlan – actor, singer, musician & songwriter from TV’s Ramsay Street to 1950’s Ballarat & across stages of the world,…
20/08/2025 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets The White Crow Michael Robotham She upholds the law. Her family breaks it. 'A twisty-turny, second-guessing great read with a killer ending' - Herald Sun for 'When You Are Mine' Michael Robotham Beloved character Police Constable Philomena McCarthy, from When You Are Mine, returns in a heart stopping thriller from the…
20/08/2025 @ 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…
23/08/2025 @ 2:00 pm - 5:00 pm Heritage Reading Room The FoolLaura J. Fitzwilson After his parents and brother are assassinated, Leo is forced to become king of the smallest country on a continent that looks an awful lot like Australia. He faces a kingdom on the brink of bankruptcy and a mistimed sneeze away from being drawn into a war; a…
23/08/2025 @ 8:00 pm - 11:00 pm $30.45 Get Tickets Step into the world of Six String Blues— from the melodies of Delta icons like Robert Johnson to the soul-stirring sounds of Chicago legends such as Muddy Waters, and into the electrifying licks of modern maestros like Eric Clapton and John Mayer, this show bridges generations of blues brilliance. Matt Arthur On stage,…
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
