Meetings are held on the second Wednesday of each month at 7:00 pm.
Meetings are normally held at the Ballarat North Community Centre (BNCC) on the corner of Walker and Armstrong Streets, Ballarat North. Members will be notified by email of any changes to this arrangement. On occasion meetings are replaced with excursions or walking tours.
Next Meeting
November 11, 2026
Major Neil Leckie RFD (ret’d), Military Historian
On this significant day marking the anniversary of the 1918 Armistice that ended fighting in World War I, Neil will outline Ballarat’s important contributions in Australia’s overseas military conflicts.
About the meeting
Ballarat’s military involvement in overseas conflicts.
Ballarat Historical Society
Next Meeting:
November 11, 2026
Major Neil Leckie RFD (ret’d), Military Historian
On this significant day marking the anniversary of the 1918 Armistice that ended fighting in World War I, Neil will outline Ballarat’s important contributions in Australia’s overseas military conflicts.
Ballarat Historical Society
Past Meeting Dates and Events
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November 11, 2026
Major Neil Leckie RFD (ret’d), Military Historian
On this significant day marking the anniversary of the 1918 Armistice that ended fighting in World War I, Neil will outline Ballarat’s important contributions in Australia’s overseas military conflicts.
October 14, 2026
Associate Professor Benjamin Mountford, ACU
Ben is currently researching the impact of the nineteenth century gold rushes on Victorian Britain. This presentation looks at how the revolutionary ocean liner the ss Great Britain was crucial in creating the strong ties which developed between Ballarat, Bristol and Liverpool.
September 9, 2026
John Kerr
John Kerr is an avid collector of local memorabilia. During this presentation he will discuss items he has selected as highlights of his collection.
This meeting is also the Ballarat Historical Society’s AGM.
August 12, 2026
Paul Greig
Learn the history behind the development and gradual decline of the once impressive Ballarat East Town Hall Gardens
July 8, 2026
Craige Proctor
Monthly Meeting
Craige will reveal how the Jeparit Historical Society took the Wimmera Mallee Pioneer Museum, a revered but “safe” museum, into unchartered waters.
March 11, 2026
Ellen Becker
Ballaarat Mechanic's Institute - its history and collection
November 12, 2025
Dr. Anne Beggs-Sunter
The Irish diaspora in Australia
October 8, 2025
Yvonne Horsfield
Ballarat's Chinese history
September 10, 2025
James Coglan
The Rise & Fall of Beer Making in Ballarat
August 13, 2025
Rose Hudson
Guest Speaker August Meeting
April 9, 2025
Barry Wilkins
The Glory Days of Ballarat's Begonia Festival
March 12, 2025
Lauren Bourke Kevin Williams
March monthly meeting
February 12, 2025
Doug Bradby
Guided tour along the lanes of Ballarat West.
Meet at the Western Hotel at 7pm.
November 13, 2024
Norman Houghton
Norman Houghton author and historian will be talking about his new book "The Bunny Line". This was the local name for the Ballarat to Buninyong Railway line which ran between 1889 and 1930.
July 10, 2024
Ross Priddle
Problem Solving and the Incredible Innovations Which Resulted from Ballarat's Rich Underground Mining Legacy
