30/06/2026 @ 2:00 pm - 26/01/2027 @ 3:00 pm $11.00 Tuesdays at 2pm | A colourful history of the Ballaarat Mechanics’ Institute and it’s people. By appointment only, (to organise a volunteer guide we require 24hrs notice). Group Tours: Group tours can also be accommodated on other days. We also offer specialty tours, information on these can be found on our Building Tours webpage.
July 3 @ 8:00 pm - 9:15 pm $49 – $59 Get Tickets "Joscho Stephan is the future of Gypsy Jazz guitar. He has absorbed the music of Django Reinhardt and interpreted it on his own terms." — Acoustic Guitar Magazine "He plays with the clarity of a classical guitarist, the improvisation of a jazz musician, and the fire of a rock star." — Guitar Player Hailed as…
July 5 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm $25 – $50 Ballaarat Mechanics' Institute Get Tickets The international guitar sensation brings his groundbreaking stage show to Australian shores for the very first time! Hailed as “the future of guitar” (Total Guitar), Misko is a globally renowned virtuoso known for his jaw-dropping technique, emotional depth, and genre-defying style. Fusing classical precision with elements of jazz, rock, and modern fingerstyle,…
July 8 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Free – $12 – $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 include guided meditations and teachings to help us solve…
July 10 @ 11:00 am - 12:50 pm $38.50 – $77 Minerva Theatre Get Tickets Written by Jenny Davis A compelling true story from WWII, honouring the bravery strength, love and hope of Australian Army Nurses in the face of adversity. Directed by Stuart Halusz Featuring Caitlin Beresford-Ord, Rebecca Davis, Michelle Fornasier, Alex Jones, Tegan Mulvany and Helen Searle. Vivian Bullwinkel was one of 65 Australian…
July 10 @ 7:00 pm - 8:50 pm $38.50 – $77 Minerva Theatre Get Tickets Written by Jenny Davis A compelling true story from WWII, honouring the bravery strength, love and hope of Australian Army Nurses in the face of adversity. Directed by Stuart Halusz Featuring Caitlin Beresford-Ord, Rebecca Davis, Michelle Fornasier, Alex Jones, Tegan Mulvany and Helen Searle. Vivian Bullwinkel was one of 65 Australian…
July 11 @ 11:00 am - 12:50 pm $38.50 – $77 Minerva Theatre Get Tickets Written by Jenny Davis A compelling true story from WWII, honouring the bravery strength, love and hope of Australian Army Nurses in the face of adversity. Directed by Stuart Halusz Featuring Caitlin Beresford-Ord, Rebecca Davis, Michelle Fornasier, Alex Jones, Tegan Mulvany and Helen Searle. Vivian Bullwinkel was one of 65 Australian…
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…
July 14 @ 7:30 pm - 9:30 pm $25 – $49 Get Tickets Film Screening with the soundtrack performed live by the Grigoryan Brothers, followed by a Q & A with the film’s writer/director Cameron Nugent. Acclaimed guitarists Slava & Leonard Grigoryan have expanded their creative output by crafting and recording the soundtrack to the award-winning movie A Boy Called Sailboat. This heart-warming movie, written and…
July 15 @ 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm $11.78 Humffray Room Get Tickets Seen Again: Light On Matrescence Benita Bensch Seen Again is a modern companion through matrescence, the profound transition of becoming a mother. Matrescence is a biological, psychological, emotional, social and spiritual transformation that can leave mothers without the language or support to make sense of who they are. Many feel disconnected or …
July 15 @ 7:00 pm - 8:00 pm Free – $12 – $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 include guided meditations and teachings to help us solve…
July 16 @ 7:30 pm - 9:00 pm Minerva Room Documentary Tribute to David Gulpilil David Gulpilil, from the Mandjalpingu (Djilba) clan of the Yolngu people, was discovered by a visiting British film-maker and recruited into the world of film. Adventurous, talented, intelligent and ambitious, he became one of Australia's best-known and charismatic actors. Following Walkabout (1971), Gulpilil's acting career spanned over 40 films, including…
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
