Location & Getting There
The conference will be held in the Minerva Room at the gorgeous heritage listed Ballaarat Mechanics Institute (BMI), 117-119 Sturt St, Ballarat Central. For those travelling from Melbourne the venue is only a short walk (10-15mins) from Ballarat Railway Station. The VLine runs regular train services every hour to and from Melbourne, a lovely 1hr 15min journey. We strongly advise attendees to check timetables regularly for any disruptions to services as Ballarat station is being renovated.
For those flying interstate, there is a shuttle bus which runs from Melbourne Tullamarine Airport straight to Ballarat railway station, tickets can be booked here:
The Minerva Room at the BMI
About the BMI
(Ballaarat Mechanics Institute)
The Ballaarat Mechanics Institute (note the older, original spelling of Ballarat) is a grand, historic building. It has a lovely statue of Minerva, the goddess of wisdom, sitting atop the building to bless all the visitors.
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The BMI has several gorgeous Victorian-era rooms. On the ground floor it houses a library with an impressive collection of texts on the occult, supernatural and demonology. Within the basement of the institute, several apotropaic witch-marks are visible from the gold-rush era construction.
The BMI Heritage Library
Accommodation & Things to Do
Our event is for one day only, meaning that most people from other regional or city areas in Victoria can make a day trip for the conference. For those wanting a slower pace, or wishing to soak up the wonderful architecture, food and culture of historic Ballarat for the weekend or more, it is recommended to stay for one or more nights.​ Please note we receive no recompense for these cultural recommendations.
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Craigs Royal Hotel
For somewhere luxurious to stay, Craigs Royal Hotel is only around the corner from the BMI. An amazingly historic building that has hosted royalty and celebrities such as Mark Twain, it has an equally amazing supernatural origin story.
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https://craigsroyal.com.au/history/ ​​
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They do a wonderful high tea here and the building is worth going inside just to look at.
Ballarat Botanic Gardens & Lake Wendouree
The Ballarat Botanic Gardens, set on the western side of Lake Wendouree, were developed in 1857 and are wonderful to visit in autumn (during the conference), or any time of year.
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The gardens host a significant collection of artwork, including marble statues of Mercury (depicted at right), Hercules, the four seasons and many other classical statues donated to the City of Ballarat by a wealthy miner named Thomas Stoddard who purchased them in Italy.
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Lake Wendouree is beautiful to walk around (allow 1hr 15 mins at a medium pace). The lake hosts many different species of birds and wildlife, including many curious black swans.
For visitors we also recommend the following attractions in Ballarat.
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Ballarat Fine Art Gallery.
Eureka Stockade - home of the Eureka rebellion in 1854, termed by many as the birth of Australian democracy and the Southern Cross flag.
Regent Theatre - heritage listed cinema screening blockbuster, arthouse and retro titles.
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