Rockhampton School of Arts (former) (2002)

Mechanics' institutes were a Victorian-era institution set up primarily to provide adult education, particularly in technical subjects, to working-class men, which spread to the corners of the English-speaking world, including the Australian colonies, where they were set up in virtually every colony. In some places, notably throughout the colonies of Queensland and New South Wales, they were often known as schools of arts. Most institutes incorporated a library, and many of the old institutes evolved into public lending libraries, while others were converted for other uses or demolished to make way for modern buildings. This article includes a list of many past mechanics' institutes / schools of arts.

Background

The foundations of the movement which created mechanics' institutes were in lectures given by George Birkbeck (1776–1841). His fourth annual lecture attracted a crowd of 500, and became an annual occurrence after his departure for London in 1804, leading to the eventual formation on 16 October 1821 of the first mechanics' institute in Edinburgh, the

Edinburgh School of Arts Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...

(later

Heriot-Watt University Heriot-Watt University ( gd, Oilthigh Heriot-Watt) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. It was established in 1821 as the School of Arts of Edinburgh, the world's first mechanics' institute, and subsequently granted univ ...

). Its first lecture was on

chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...

, and within a month it was subscribed to by 452 men who each paid a quarterly subscription fee. This new model of technical educational institution gave classes for working men, and included libraries as well as apparatus to be used for experiments and technical education, and by 1900 there were over 9,000 mechanics institutes around the world. Mechanics' Institutes were sometimes called schools of arts in the Australian colonies, especially Queensland. The purpose of forming such institutes was to improve the education of working men, and to instruct them in various trades. They were also part of a wider 19th-century movement promoting popular education in Britain, at which time co-operative societies, working men's colleges and the university extension movement were established. The call for popular education in turn can be contextualised within the broader liberal, laissez-faire, non-interventionist philosophy which dominated British social, economic and political ideologies in the 19th century. In this environment, mechanics' institutes flourished as a means by which working men might improve their lot, either through self-education using the reading rooms in the institutes, or by participating in instructional classes organised and funded by institute members. CC-BY icon

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licence. In Australia, mechanics' institutes were often run by the middle classes. The provision of reading rooms, museums, lectures and classes were still important, but the Australian institutions were also more likely to include a social programme in their calendar of events. The first mechanics' institute in the Australian colonies was established in

Hobart Hobart ( ; Nuennonne/Palawa kani: ''nipaluna'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian island state of Tasmania. Home to almost half of all Tasmanians, it is the least-populated Australian state capital city, and second-small ...

in 1827, followed by the

Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts The Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts (SMSA) is the longest running School of Arts (also known as a " Mechanics' Institute") and the oldest continuous lending library in Australia. Founded in 1833, the school counted many of the colony's educat ...

in 1833, Newcastle School of Arts in 1835, then the Melbourne Mechanics' Institute established in 1839 (renamed the Melbourne Athenaeum in 1873). From the 1850s, mechanics' institutes quickly spread throughout Victoria wherever a hall, library or school was needed. Over 1200 mechanics' institutes were built in Victoria but just over 500 remain today, and only six still operated their lending library services as of 2010.

21st century revival

Across the world, there is a move to sustain and revive mechanics' institutes and related institutions such as athenaeums and schools of art, as

subscription libraries A subscription library (also membership library or independent library) is a library that is financed by private funds either from membership fees or endowments. Unlike a public library, access is often restricted to members, but access rights c ...

, sometimes incorporating or expanding their earlier functions. There have been several worldwide conferences between 2004 and 2021, known as the Mechanics' Worldwide Conference, of representatives of, or people who have an interest in, mechanics' institutes. In the state of Victoria, a group of Mechanics' Institute representatives met in April 1998 at the institute in Kilmore to exchange information and ideas about the future of their organisations, at a conference entitled ''Mechanics' Institutes: The Way Forward''. From this arose an association, the Mechanics' Institutes of Victoria, whose aim it is for mechanics' institutes to again play an important social and cultural role in their communities, as they did in the past.

Mackay Mackay may refer to: *Clan Mackay, the Scottish clan from which the surname "MacKay" derives Mackay may also refer to: Places Australia * Mackay Region, a local government area ** Mackay, Queensland, a city in the above region *** Mackay Airport ...

School of Arts

By state

New South Wales

The

, established in 1833, is the oldest school of arts in continuous operation, and largest in Australia Other institutes in New South Wales include: * Albury Mechanics' Institute, Albury * Arncliffe School of Arts hall/Council Hall * Balmain Workingmen's Institute closed
Bathurst School of Arts
* Batlow Literary Institute *

Berry A berry is a small, pulpy, and often edible fruit. Typically, berries are juicy, rounded, brightly colored, sweet, sour or tart, and do not have a stone or pit, although many pips or seeds may be present. Common examples are strawberries, raspb ...

School of Arts * Binalong Mechanics' Institute * Blacktown School of Arts, established as the Blacktown Mutual Improvement Association (1905) * Bourke School of Arts * Braidwood Literary InstituteThe Libraries of Schools of Arts and Mechanics’ Institutes: Time Capsules of Australian Book Collections.
* Burrawang School of Arts *

Buxton, New South Wales Buxton is a small village in Macarthur Region of New South Wales, Australia, in Wollondilly Shire. At the , Buxton had a population of 2,071 people. Its name comes from the town of Buxton, Derbyshire. Geography It is bordered by Couridjah ...

* Carlingford Mechanics' Institute *

Carlton Carlton may refer to: People * Carlton (name), a list of those with the given name or surname * Carlton (singer), English soul singer Carlton McCarthy * Carlton, a pen name used by Joseph Caldwell (1773–1835), American educator, Presbyterian ...

School of Arts * Cathcart Literary Institute * Clarencetown School of Arts * Mechanic Institute Hall, Cookamidgera * Cronulla School of Arts * Epping School of Arts, Epping, New South Wales * Fairfield School of Arts * Glebe School of Arts * Glen Oaks School of Arts * Goulburn Mechanics' Institute (1853–1946) * Grafton School of Arts Library * Granville School of Arts, now a college * Grenfell Mechanics' Institute, Grenfell *

Guildford Guildford () is a town in west Surrey, around southwest of central London. As of the 2011 census, the town has a population of about 77,000 and is the seat of the wider Borough of Guildford, which had around inhabitants in . The name "Guildf ...

Soldiers' Memorial School of Arts * Gundagai Literary Institute, Gundagai * Howlong Mechanics' Institute * Kogarah School of Arts (1886) * Lawson Mechanics' Institute * Leichhardt School of Arts hall Hall *

Moruya Mechanics' Institute The Moruya Mechanics' Institute is a Heritage register, heritage-listed mechanics' institute located at 13 Page Street, Moruya, New South Wales, Moruya in the Eurobodalla Shire local government are of New South Wales, Australia. It was added to ...

* Nelligen Mechanics' Institute, Nelligen * Newtown School of art * Oatley School of Arts (1905), Oatley * Peakhurst School of Arts,

Peakhurst Peakhurst is a suburb in Southern Sydney, or the St George Area, in the state of New South Wales, Australia 21 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central business district. Peakhurst is in the local government area of the Georges River Counc ...

* Penrith School of Arts *

Queanbeyan Queanbeyan ( ) is a city in the south-eastern region of New South Wales, Australia, located adjacent to the Australian Capital Territory in the Southern Tablelands region. Located on the Queanbeyan River, the city is the council seat of the ...

School of Arts * Richmond School of Arts * Rockdale School of Arts *

Rollands Plains Rollands Plains is a village and bounded rural locality in Mid North Coast of New South Wales, Australia. Location and economy Located 320 km north of Sydney and 20 km west of Port Macquarie, New South Wales, between the town of Tel ...

Rooty Hill Rooty Hill is a heritage-listed historic site and now parkland at Eastern Road, Rooty Hill, City of Blacktown, New South Wales, Australia. It was built from 1802 to 1828. It is also known as The Rooty Hill and Morreau Reserve. The property is ...

School of Arts (1903) * Rozelle Mechanics' Institute *

St Albans St Albans () is a cathedral city in Hertfordshire, England, east of Hemel Hempstead and west of Hatfield, Hertfordshire, Hatfield, north-west of London, south-west of Welwyn Garden City and south-east of Luton. St Albans was the first major ...

School of Arts hall *

Scone School of Arts The Scone School of Arts was a Mechanics' Institute that provided adult education in the town of Scone, New South Wales, Australia in the late 19th and early 20th century. The School, founded in 1868, occupied two heritage listed buildings in Sco ...

, Scone * Seaham School of Arts * Singleton Mechanics' Institute * Sunny Corner School of Arts, Sunny *

Tenterfield School of Arts The Tenterfield School of Arts is a Heritage register, heritage-listed former mechanics' institutes, school of arts and now museum, theatre, cinema, community centre and library located at Manners Street, Tenterfield, New South Wales, Tenterfie ...

* Wagga Wagga School of Arts * Wentworth Falls School of Arts * Wilberforce * Windsor School of Arts, Bridge Street, Thompson Square * Wingello Mechanics' Institute * Yass Mechanics' Institute,

Yass Yass may refer to: People * Catherine Yass (born 1963), painter * Yazz, a British pop singer from the 1980s and 1990s * Jeff Yass (born 1956), options trader, managing director and one of the five founders of the Philadelphia-based Susquehanna I ...

Queensland

Baree School of Arts Baree School of Arts is a heritage-listed school of arts at Creek Street, Baree, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1910. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 25 January 2001. History Constructed in 1 ...

Brisbane School of Arts Brisbane School of Arts is a heritage-listed school of arts at 166 Ann Street, Brisbane City, City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. It was built from 1865 to 1985. It is also known as former Servants Home. It was added to the Queensland ...

Bundaberg School of Arts Bundaberg School of Arts is a heritage-listed former school of arts and now community centre at 184 Bourbong Street, Bundaberg Central, Bundaberg, Bundaberg Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Anton Hettrich and built from 1888 ...

Cairns School of Arts Cairns School of Arts is a heritage-listed former school of arts and now the Cairns Museum at 93-105 Lake Street, Cairns City, Cairns, Cairns Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Tunbridge, Tunbridge & Lynch and built from 1907 ...

(now the Cairns Museum) * Coorparoo School of Arts *

Eumundi School of Arts Eumundi School of Arts is a heritage-listed school of arts at 63 Memorial Drive, Eumundi, Sunshine Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by William David Fenwick and built in 1912 by William Henry Bytheway. It was added to the ...

(now the Eumundi and District Historical Association) *

Gympie School of Arts Gympie School of Arts is a heritage-listed school of arts at 39 Nash Street, Gympie, Gympie Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by architect Hugo William Du Rietz (sometimes written as Durietz) and was built from 1904 to 1905. It w ...

(now the Gympie Regional Gallery) *

Herberton School of Arts Herberton School of Arts is a heritage-listed mechanics' institutes in Australia, school of arts at 61 Grace Street, Herberton, Queensland, Herberton, Tablelands Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1881. It was added to the Queenslan ...

Old Ipswich Town Hall Old Ipswich Town Hall is a heritage-listed former town hall at 116 Brisbane Street, Ipswich, City of Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by James Percy Owen Cowlishaw and built from 1861 to 1879. It is also known as Mechanics Schoo ...

Irvinebank School of Arts Hall Irvinebank School of Arts Hall is a heritage-listed school of arts at McDonald Street, Irvinebank, Shire of Mareeba, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1900. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register on 29 May 1995. History The ...

* Mackay School of Arts *

Maryborough School of Arts Maryborough School of Arts is a heritage-listed School of Arts building at 427 Kent Street, Maryborough, Fraser Coast Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by John Harry Grainger and built from 1887 to 1888 by Jacob & John Rooney. ...

* Mungungo School of Arts * Numinbah Valley School of Arts * Ravenswood School of Arts * Rockhampton School of Arts *

Townsville School of Arts Townsville School of Arts is a heritage-listed former school of arts and now community cultural centre at Stanley Street, Townsville CBD, City of Townsville, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Eyre & Munro and built in 1891 by James Sm ...

Woody Point Memorial Hall Woody Point Memorial Hall is a heritage-listed school of arts at Hornibrook Esplanade, Woody Point, City of Moreton Bay, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by Hubert George Octavius Thomas. It was added to the Queensland Heritage Register ...

Yangan School of Arts Yangan School of Arts is a heritage-listed mechanics' institutes in Australia, school of arts at 7-9 King Street, Yangan, Queensland, Yangan, Southern Downs Region, Queensland, Australia. It was built in 1912. It was added to the Queensland Her ...

South Australia

There were two iterations of the

Adelaide Mechanics' Institute The State Library of South Australia, or SLSA, formerly known as the Public Library of South Australia, located on North Terrace, Adelaide, is the official library of the Australian state of South Australia. It is the largest public research ...

in Adelaide, South Australia. The first was based on the traditional working-men's educational model (founded 1838; merged with Adelaide Literary and Scientific Association and Mechanics' Institute in 1839, folded 1844). The second was led by schoolteacher

W.A. Cawthorne Cawthorne and Co, also known as Cawthorne's Limited, was a company founded in 1870 in Adelaide, South Australia, by Charles Cawthorne and his father William Anderson Cawthorne (also known as W.A. Cawthorne), which dealt in musical instruments, sh ...

, founded in 1847,PDF
/ref> This organisation merged with the South Australian Library in 1848, creating the Mechanics' Institute and South Australian Library. and was the forerunner of the

State Library of South Australia The State Library of South Australia, or SLSA, formerly known as the Public Library of South Australia, located on North Terrace, Adelaide, is the official library of the Australian state of South Australia. It is the largest public research l ...

, the South Australian Museum, and the

Art Gallery of South Australia The Art Gallery of South Australia (AGSA), established as the National Gallery of South Australia in 1881, is located in Adelaide. It is the most significant visual arts museum in the Australian state of South Australia. It has a collection of ...

. Between 1847 and 1856, thirteen further institutes came into existence: *

Hindmarsh Hindmarsh is a surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Alfred Hindmarsh, MP for Wellington South (New Zealand electorate) and first leader of the New Zealand Labour Party *Ian Hindmarsh, Australian rugby league player * Jean Hindm ...

* North Adelaide * Stepney / Norwood * Glen Osmond * Gawler * Gawler * Mount Barker * Clarendon * Willunga *

Woodside Woodside may refer to: Places and buildings Australia *Woodside, South Australia, a town *Woodside, Victoria, a town Canada *Woodside National Historic Site, the boyhood home of William Lyon Mackenzie King *Woodside, Nova Scotia, a neighborho ...

* Port Adelaide Institute * Port Lincoln *

Port Elliot Port Elliot is a town in South Australia toward the eastern end of the south coast of the Fleurieu Peninsula. It is situated on the sheltered Horseshoe Bay, a small bay off the much larger Encounter Bay. Pullen Island lies outside the mouth of t ...

The

South Australian Institute The State Library of South Australia, or SLSA, formerly known as the Public Library of South Australia, located on North Terrace, Adelaide, is the official library of the Australian state of South Australia. It is the largest public research l ...

, incorporated under the '' South Australian Institute Act'' of 1856, became the support and lead organisation for the 350 institutes in South Australia. In 1975, the

state government A state government is the government that controls a subdivision of a country in a federal form of government, which shares political power with the federal or national government. A state government may have some level of political autonomy, or ...

phased out funding for the institutes, replacing them with free school-community libraries, while local public libraries were supported by local governments. The Institutes Association ceased to exist in 1988; however, most of the old institute buildings remain, many as

heritage-listed This list is of heritage registers, inventories of cultural properties, natural and man-made, tangible and intangible, movable and immovable, that are deemed to be of sufficient heritage value to be separately identified and recorded. In many ...

buildings. Later mechanics' institutes in South Australia included: * Balaklava Institute * Beachport Institute *

Cambrai Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...

Institute *

Cobdogla Cobdogla is a town in the Riverland region of South Australia, The town is on the Murray River, north-east of the state capital, Adelaide. At the 2006 census, Cobdogla had a population of 232. Cobdogla is the home of the Irrigation and Steam M ...

Institute * Coonalpyn Institute *

Curramulka Curramulka is a town in the Australian state of South Australia on the Yorke Peninsula. Curramulka is within easy driving distance of the coastal resort towns of Port Victoria and Port Vincent and is north-east of Minlaton. At the , Curramu ...

Institute * Dawson Institute * Dublin Institute * Edithburgh Institute *

Farrell Flat Farrell Flat (formerly Hanson) is a town in South Australia. The town is located east of Clare and southwest of Burra on the former Peterborough railway line, in the Regional Council of Goyder. At the 2006 census, Farrell Flat and the surrou ...

Institute * Freeling Institute *Hamley Bridge Institute *Karoonda, South Australia#Photo gallery, Karoonda * Kensington and Norwood Institute *Macclesfield, South Australia#Community Events, Macclesfield Institute *Mannum#Gallery, Mannum Institute *Mintaro, South Australia, Mintaro Institute *Mitcham Village Institute *Morgan, South Australia#Gallery, Morgan Institute *Mount Gambier Institute *Owen, South Australia#Gallery, Owen Institute *Pinnaroo, South Australia, Pinnaroo Institute *Port Vincent, South Australia, Port Vincent Institute *Ramco, South Australia, Ramco Institute *Saddleworth, South Australia, Saddleworth Institute *Stansbury, South Australia, Stansbury Memorial Institute *Terowie, South Australia, Terowie Institute *Waikerie, South Australia#Gallery, Waikerie Institute *Wasleys#Gallery, Wasleys Institute

Tasmania

*The earliest and most prominent institute ïn Tasmania was Van Diemen's Land Mechanics' Institution, also known as Hobart Town Mechanics' Institute,

(1827–1871), co-founded by George Augustus Robinson. The institute had a shaky start, but after the Presbyterian minister John Lillie (minister), John Lillie became president in 1839, his lectures became very popular, described as "the high-water mark of learning publicly disseminated in the colony". However, it was not attended by working-class men, as the institute had gained a reputation for elitism and paternalism. After going bankrupt, it folded in 1871. *Launceston Mechanics' Institute, Launceston, Tasmania, Launceston, co-founded in 1842 by Congregational minister, journalist and historian John West (writer), John West and designed by eminent New Zealand-born architect W. H. Clayton, was a very successful institute. When it was demolished in 1971, its books were given to the public library. Others included: * Don Mechanics' Institute, Don, Tasmania * Ellesmere Mechanics' Institute, Ellesmere, Tasmania, Ellesmere (later Scottsdale) * Emu Bay Mechanics' Institute, Burnie, Tasmania, Burnie * Franklin Mechanics' Institute, Franklin, Tasmania, Franklin * Huon Mechanics' Institute * Port Esperance Mechanics' Institute, Port Esperance * Queenstown Mechanics' Institute, Queenstown, Tasmania, Queenstown * Ringarooma Mechanics' Institute, Ringarooma * Waratah Mechanics' Institute, Waratah, Tasmania, Waratah * West Hobart Mechanics' Institute, West Hobart (), still standing as of 2011 There were other similar institutions, although not called mechanics' institutes, but with similar aims, at Bellerive, Campbell Town, Devon, Glenora, Green Ponds, Hamilton-on-Forth, Lefroy, Oatlands, Sorell, Stanley and Wynyard; and the Tasmanian Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge (Launceston, 1831), the Tasmanian Society for the Acquisition of Useful Knowledge (Hobart Town, 1845), and the Mechanics' School of Arts (Hobart Town, 1850) were also focused on providing similar educational functions. Most of the institutes in Tasmania became social and cultural centres for the middle classes, including women. Over time, musical performances and various entertainments, such as penny readings took precedence over lectures, and their original educational aims were forgotten. Many of the buildings have however survived, now used as community centres or libraries.

Victoria

Many mechanics' institutes, athenaeums, schools of arts and related institutions are well documented by the Mechanics' Institutes of Victoria, Inc., whose members range from the well-resourced Melbourne Athenaeum to the tiny Moonambel Mechanics' Institute in Moonambel. Past and present institutes in Victoria include: * Alexandra School of Arts, Alexandra, Victoria * Amphitheatre Mechanics' Institute, Amphitheatre, Victoria, Amphitheatre * Ballan, Victoria#History, Ballan Mechanics' Institute, 1860 * Ballarat#Education, Ballarat Mechanics Institute * Berwick Mechanics Institute and Free Library (1862) * Bonnie Doon Community Centre * Briagolong Mechanics' Institute, Briagolong, 1874 * Brunswick, Victoria Mechanics Institute * Bunyip Mechanics' Institute, 1905 * Footscray Mechanics' Institute, Footscray, Victoria, Footscray * Burke and Wills Institute, Fryerstown * Glengarry Mechanics' Institute, 1886 * Horsham, Victoria#culture, Horsham, Mechanics Institute * Geelong Mechanics Institute * Kilmore Mechanics' Institute and Free Library * Kyneton#education, Kyneton Mechanics Institute * Lancefield Mechanics' Institute and Free Library * Little River Mechanics' Institute, Little River, Victoria, Little River * Long Gully Mechanics Institute * Longwarry Mechanics’ Institute and Free Library, 1886 * Maffra Mechanics' Institute * Maldon Athenaeum Library * Malmsbury Mechanics’ Institute, 1862 * Meeniyan Mechanics’ Institute, 1892 * Melbourne Athenaeum, Melbourne Athenaeum Library * Melbourne Mechanics Institute now part of the State Library of Victoria * Prahran Mechanics' Institute, the only Mechanics' Institute in Victoria which has its own Act of Parliament for its incorporation. * Port Fairy Library and Lecture Hall, Port Fairy, Victoria, Port Fairy, 1860 * Rosedale Mechanics’ Institute, 1863 * Rushworth, Victoria, Rushworth Mechanics Institute * Stanley Athenaeum and Public Room * Stratford Mechanics’ Institute, 1866 * Talbot Community Library & Arts Centre * City of Williamstown, Wiiliamstown Mechanics Institute
Tallarook Mechanics Institute
* Trafalgar Mechanics’ Institute and Free Library, Trafalgar, Victoria, Trafalgar, 1889 * Toongabbie Mechanics’ Institute, 1883 * Upper Maffra Mechanics Institute * Charlton, Victoria#gallery, Charlton, Mechanics Institute * Drysdale, Victoria#gallery, Drysdale Free Library * Elmhurst, Victoria#Gallery, Elmhurst Mechanics Institute * Echuca, Victoria, Echuca Mechanics' Institute, Victoria * Great Western, Victoria#Gallery, Great Western Mechanics Institute * Healesville, Victoria#gallery, Healesville Mechanics Institute * Leongatha#community, Leongatha Mechanics Institute * Lilydale, Victoria#History, Lilydale Mechanics Institute * Mornington, Victoria, Mornington Mechanics Institute * Morongla Creek, New South Wales, Morongla Creek Mechanics Institute Hall * Murrumburrah#gallery Institute * Macarthur, Victoria Mechanisc Institute Hall * Nagambie#gallery, Nagambie Mechanics Institute * Riddells Creek Mechanics Institute * Narre Warren Mechanics Institute (1891) * Prahran Mechanics' Institute * Purlewaugh Mechanics' Institute * Purnim Mechanics' Institute, Purnim, Victoria, Purnim * Mechanics' Institute, Sorrento * Romsey Mechanics Institute * Richmond, New South Wales, Richmond School of Arts *

Soldiers Memorial School of Arts * Arts Theatre Cronulla#Early Years, Cronulla School of Arts *

School of Arts hall * Sunny Corner School of Arts. * Cookamidgera Mechanics Institute. * Warrandyte Mechnanics' Institute, Warrandyte, Victoria, Warrandyte * Wambat Mechanics Institute * Winiam, Shire of Lowan Mechanis Institute Library * Woodend, Victoria, Woodend Mechanics Institute * Yandoit#Gallery, Yandoit Mechanics Institute

Western Australia

The Swan River Mechanics' Institute, situated in Perth, was the first such organisation formed in the colony on 21 January 1851, followed by the Fremantle Mechanics Institute on 8 August 1851. Other mechanics' institutes include: *Albany, Western Australia, Albany (1853) * Bunbury, Western Australia, Bunbury (1867) * Busselton (1861) * Greenough, Western Australia, Greenough (1865) * Guildford Mechanics' Institute, Guildford, Western Australia, Guildford, a suburb of Perth (1862) * Katanning Mechanics' Institute, Katanning * Northam, Western Australia, Northam (1866) * South Perth Mechanics' Institute, now Old Mill Theatre, South Perth, Western Australia, South Perth, 1899 * Toodyay Public Library#Mechanics' Institute 1874-1921, Toodyay (1866) * York, Western Australia, York in 1861

References

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