August 22 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm $15 – $30 Minerva Space I won’t tell, if you won’t. Playwright: Joanna Richards Directed by Ruby Abbott You Can’t Tell Anyone is a philosophical thriller that examines the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Thanks to a game of Paranoia, this group of teens will never be the same again. No one is safe, not even the audience.…
You Can’t Tell Anyone, A Ballarat National Theatre Production Read More »
August 22 @ 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm $15 – $30 Minerva Space I won’t tell, if you won’t. Playwright: Joanna Richards Directed by Ruby Abbott You Can’t Tell Anyone is a philosophical thriller that examines the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Thanks to a game of Paranoia, this group of teens will never be the same again. No one is safe, not even the audience.
You Can’t Tell Anyone, A Ballarat National Theatre Production Read More »
August 21 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm $15 – $30 Minerva Space I won’t tell, if you won’t. Playwright: Joanna Richards Directed by Ruby Abbott You Can’t Tell Anyone is a philosophical thriller that examines the transition from adolescence to adulthood. Thanks to a game of Paranoia, this group of teens will never be the same again. No one is safe, not even the audience.
You Can’t Tell Anyone, A Ballarat National Theatre Production Read More »
December 2 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm $9 – $13 Get Tickets 100 Year History of Legacy in Ballarat Speaker: Richard McRoberts Isabella Bates and Lorraine Ellis pass the torch at Ballarat’s iconic Arch of Victory, marking a proud moment in the Legacy Centenary Torch Relay 2023. The event honours 100 years of Legacy Australia’s support for veterans’ families. The Ballarat Legacy Club The Ballarat…
Twilight Talks: Season 2, 100 Year History of Legacy, Ballarat Read More »
November 25 @ 5:30 pm – 6:30 pm $9 – $13 Humffray Room Get Tickets Create Better Health by Understanding the Language of Your Body: Ancient Wisdom, Modern Science & the Microbiome Connection.Speaker: Meredith O’Loughlan The Language of your body Neurobiome Wheel Inner circle: regulatory domainsOuter circle: biopatternsThe Neurobiome Wheel is a simple framework that helps decode the body’s signals by connecting symptoms into meaningful health patterns. Combinging ancient…
Twilight Talks: Season 2, Understanding the Language of your Body Read More »
August 7 @ 6:00 pm – 7:00 pm $15 Get Tickets Before digital databases and photography, how did we learn about the natural world? This Biodiversity Week, discover the BMI’s rare set of Ferdinand von Mueller’s Educational Collections of Victorian Plants (1874–1876). Designed to “diffuse information on the native vegetation” across Victoria, this historic herbarium and book collection reveals how early scientific communication cultivated
150 Years of Botanical Communication Read More »
July 24 @ 11:00 am – 12:30 pm Free Humffray Room Get Tickets The Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute is custodian of the most intact surviving set of the Educational Collections of Victorian Plants (1874–1876). A herbarium and series of books compiled by the first Chief Botanist of the Colony of Victoria, Baron Sir Ferdinand von Mueller. This presentation reveals the history and significance of this remarkable collection,
Arresting the Ephemeral: The Beautiful Usefulness of a Victorian Herbarium Read More »
July 11 @ 7:00 pm – 8:50 pm $38.50 – $77 Minerva Theatre Get Tickets Written by Jenny DavisA compelling true story from WWII, honouring the bravery strength, love and hope of Australian Army Nurses in the face of adversity. Directed by Stuart HaluszFeaturing Caitlin Beresford-Ord, Rebecca Davis, Michelle Fornasier, Alex Jones, Tegan Mulvany and Helen Searle. Vivian Bullwinkel was one of 65 Australian nurses who
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, and the magic of the first moving image technologies. Join Curator Ellen
May 22 @ 7:00 pm – 8:30 pm $3 – $5 Hunffray Room Get Tickets Presented by Tales from Rat City Panic from the Skies is the fourth chapter in our multi award winning Call of Cthulhu liveplay series, delivering a fresh descent into mystery, suspense, and eldritch terror. Faced with unsettling events and unimaginable dangers, our investigators must uncover the truth before panic gives way
Panic from the Sky: A Call of Cthulhu Adventure Read More »
Fundraiser for Ballarat RSL & BMI
$33 per person
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.
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
Sunday 6 September at 2pm - Cost $65
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.
