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 […]
In Conversation with Anna Johnston Read More »
April 14 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets Peg Rankin: A Journey of Faith and Resilience Peter Rankin SDB As told by Gerardine Christou This is the story of Peg, an ordinary woman who was “made of extraordinary stuff ” Margaret (Peg) Rankin is remembered by all who knew and
In Conversation with Gerardine Christou: The story of Peg Rankin Read More »
May 13 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets After the Noise Kerri Rogan Lee squinted in the sunlight and patted around her. It felt like a mattress and a dog. For the first time in months, she had slept in a bed. Oh, dear. Moose. She had fed her a
In Conversation with Kerri Rogan Read More »
April 21 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets The Drowning Fiona Lowe Authentically Australian, Fiona Lowe’s stories are often triggered by a secret or a mystery, and they explore the themes of family, community and second chances. Described as gripping, thought-provoking, heart-warming and ultimately uplifting, Lowe’s books have been praised
In Conversation with Fiona Lowe Read More »
March 24 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets The Romanov Secret Chrissie Bellbrae A priceless Fabergé jewel. An empire on the brink of revolution. A love to dangerous to reveal. A celebrated artist’s painting holds clues to long-held family secrets and lives under threat, long after the fall of the
In Conversation with Chrissie Bellbrae Read More »
February 14 @ 12:00 pm – 2:00 pm $10.00 Minerva Space Get tickets My Sweet Monster: A Cautionary Tale of Desire Tori Baxter Book launch for My Sweet Monster: A Cautionary Tale of Desire and live conversation event with Author Tori Baxter and Journalist Abby Dinham around motherhood, survival and domestic violence partnerships. My Sweet Monster
In conversation with Tori Baxter | Book Launch Read More »
December 2 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets It’s a Scorcher: Tales of the Australian Summer William McInnes Join actor and bestselling author William McInnes in conversation to talk all about his new book It’s a Scorcher: Tales of the Australian Summer – a collection of hilarious and heartwarming stories about those
In Conversation with William McInnes Read More »
February 25 @ 6:30 pm – 8:00 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets The One Remaining Paula McLean The One Remaining is a captivating story of overcoming loss, finding the courage to trust those who believe in us, and the self-healing power of writing our stories. Hilary Mason is thirteen when her sister Elaine disappears. She
In Conversation with Paula McLean Read More »
October 21 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets Winds of Change J Mary Masters Book 5 in the Belleville Family Series As a shocking betrayal unravels, a child’s future hangs in the balance. Cracks appear within the Belleville family. Against this background, a new house will rise from the ashes
In Conversation with J Mary Masters *This event has now been CANCELLED* Read More »
November 18 @ 6:00 pm – 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets An Ill Wind Margaret Hickey A Small Town Divided – Secrets Are Blown Apart Author of Cutters End and Stone Town High on a hill above the small fictional Victorian town of Carrabeen, 300 wind turbines constantly spin. All except for one, now
In Conversation with Margaret Hickey Read More »
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
