Rockhampton School of Arts (former) (2002)

Mechanics' institutes were a

Victorian-era In the history of the United Kingdom and the British Empire, the Victorian era was the period of Queen Victoria's reign, from 20 June 1837 until her death on 22 January 1901. The era followed the Georgian period and preceded the Edwardi ...

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 The states and territories are federated administrative divisions in Australia, ruled by regional governments that constitute the second level of governance between the federal government and local governments. States are self-governing ...

, where they were set up in virtually every colony. In some places, notably throughout the colonies of Queensland and

New South Wales ) , nickname = , image_map = New South Wales in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of New South Wales in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , es ...

, 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 George Birkbeck FRS (; 10 January 1776 – 1 December 1841) was a British physician, academic, philanthropist, pioneer in adult education and a professor of natural philosophy at the Andersonian Institute. He is the founder of Birkbeck, Univers ...

(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 (later Heriot-Watt University). Its first lecture was on chemistry, 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 ''Laissez-faire'' ( ; from french: laissez faire , ) is an economic system in which transactions between private groups of people are free from any form of economic interventionism (such as subsidies) deriving from special interest groups ...

, 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 in 1827, followed by the Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts in 1833,

Newcastle Newcastle usually refers to: *Newcastle upon Tyne, a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England *Newcastle-under-Lyme, a town in Staffordshire, England *Newcastle, New South Wales, a metropolitan area in Australia, named after Newcastle ...

School of Arts in 1835, then the

Melbourne Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...

Mechanics' Institute established in 1839 (renamed the

Melbourne Athenaeum The Athenaeum or Melbourne Athenaeum is an art and cultural hub in the central business district of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1839, it is the city's oldest cultural institution. Its building on Collins Street in the East End ...

in 1873). From the 1850s, mechanics' institutes quickly spread throughout

Victoria Victoria most commonly refers to: * Victoria (Australia), a state of the Commonwealth of Australia * Victoria, British Columbia, provincial capital of British Columbia, Canada * Victoria (mythology), Roman goddess of Victory * Victoria, Seychelle ...

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, 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

, 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 Association may refer to: *Club (organization), an association of two or more people united by a common interest or goal *Trade association, an organization founded and funded by businesses that operate in a specific industry *Voluntary associatio ...

, 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 Airpor ...

School of Arts

By state

New South Wales

The Sydney Mechanics' School of Arts, 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 Albury () is a major regional city in New South Wales, Australia. It is located on the Hume Highway and the northern side of the Murray River. Albury is the seat of local government for the council area which also bears the city's name – the ...

* Arncliffe School of Arts hall/Council Hall * Balmain Workingmen's Institute closed
Bathurst School of Arts
* Batlow Literary Institute * Berry School of Arts *

Binalong Binalong (Bine-a-long) is a village in the Southern Tablelands of New South Wales, Australia, 37 km north-west of Yass in Yass Valley Shire. At the , Binalong and the surrounding area had a population of 543. History Original inhabit ...

Mechanics' Institute *

Blacktown Blacktown is a suburb in the City of Blacktown, in Greater Western Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. Blacktown is located west of the Sydney central business district. It is one of the most multicultural places within Great ...

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 * Carlingford Mechanics' Institute * Carlton 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 Epping is a suburb of Sydney, in the Australian state of New South Wales, 18 kilometres north-west of the Sydney central business district in the local government area of the City of Parramatta. Epping is located in the Northern Sydney region, wh ...

* Fairfield School of Arts *

Glebe Glebe (; also known as church furlong, rectory manor or parson's close(s))McGurk 1970, p. 17 is an area of land within an ecclesiastical parish used to support a parish priest. The land may be owned by the church, or its profits may be reserved ...

School of Arts *

Glen Oaks A glen is a valley, typically one that is long and bounded by gently sloped concave sides, unlike a ravine, which is deep and bounded by steep slopes. Whittow defines it as a "Scottish term for a deep valley in the Highlands" that is "narrower ...

School of Arts * Goulburn Mechanics' Institute (1853–1946) * Grafton School of Arts Library * Granville School of Arts, now a

college A college (Latin: ''collegium'') is an educational institution or a constituent part of one. A college may be a degree-awarding tertiary educational institution, a part of a collegiate or federal university, an institution offerin ...

* Grenfell Mechanics' Institute, Grenfell * Guildford Soldiers' Memorial School of Arts * Gundagai Literary Institute,

Gundagai Gundagai is a town in New South Wales, Australia. Although a small town, Gundagai is a popular topic for writers and has become a representative icon of a typical Australian country town. Located along the Murrumbidgee River and Muniong, Hon ...

* Howlong Mechanics' Institute * Kogarah School of Arts (1886) * Lawson Mechanics' Institute *

Leichhardt Leichhardt may refer to: * Division of Leichhardt, electoral District for the Australian House of Representatives * Leichhardt Highway, a highway of Queensland, Australia * Leichhardt Way, an Australian road route * Leichhardt, New South Wales, inn ...

School of Arts hall Hall * Moruya Mechanics' Institute * 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 Counci ...

* Penrith School of Arts * Queanbeyan School of Arts * Richmond School of Arts * Rockdale School of Arts * Rollands Plains * Rooty Hill School of Arts (1903) *

Rozelle Rozelle is a suburb in the inner west of Sydney, in the state of New South Wales, Australia. It is located 4 kilometres west of the Sydney central business district, in the local government area of the Inner West Council. Location Rozelle s ...

Mechanics' Institute * St Albans School of Arts hall * Scone School of Arts,

Scone A scone is a baked good, usually made of either wheat or oatmeal with baking powder as a leavening agent, and baked on sheet pans. A scone is often slightly sweetened and occasionally glazed with egg wash. The scone is a basic component ...

Seaham Seaham is a seaside town in County Durham, England. Located on the Durham Coast, Seaham is situated south of Sunderland and east of Durham. The town grew from the late 19th century onwards as a result of investments in its harbour and ...

School of Arts * Singleton Mechanics' Institute * Sunny Corner School of Arts, Sunny * Tenterfield School of Arts * Wagga Wagga School of Arts * Wentworth Falls School of Arts * Wilberforce *

Windsor Windsor may refer to: Places Australia * Windsor, New South Wales ** Municipality of Windsor, a former local government area * Windsor, Queensland, a suburb of Brisbane, Queensland **Shire of Windsor, a former local government authority around Wi ...

School of Arts, Bridge Street, Thompson Square * Wingello Mechanics' Institute * Yass Mechanics' Institute, Yass

Queensland

* Baree School of Arts * Brisbane School of Arts * Bundaberg School of Arts * Cairns School of Arts (now the Cairns Museum) * Coorparoo School of Arts * Eumundi School of Arts (now the Eumundi and District Historical Association) * Gympie School of Arts (now the Gympie Regional Gallery) * Herberton School of Arts *

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 Scho ...

* Irvinebank School of Arts Hall * Mackay School of Arts * Maryborough School of Arts * Mungungo School of Arts * Numinbah Valley School of Arts * Ravenswood School of Arts *

Rockhampton School of Arts Rockhampton School of Arts is a heritage-listed former school of arts at 230 Bolsover Street, Rockhampton City, Rockhampton, Rockhampton Region, Queensland, Australia. It was designed by William (Walter) Cherry built in 1894 by Walter Adam ...

* Townsville School of Arts * Woody Point Memorial Hall * Yangan School of Arts

South Australia

There were two iterations of the Adelaide Mechanics' Institute in

Adelaide Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...

South Australia South Australia (commonly abbreviated as SA) is a state in the southern central part of Australia. It covers some of the most arid parts of the country. With a total land area of , it is the fourth-largest of Australia's states and territories ...

. 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, 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

South Australian Museum The South Australian Museum is a natural history museum and research institution in Adelaide, South Australia, founded in 1856 and owned by the Government of South Australia. It occupies a complex of buildings on North Terrace in the cultu ...

, and the Art Gallery of South Australia. Between 1847 and 1856, thirteen further institutes came into existence: * Hindmarsh *

North Adelaide North Adelaide is a predominantly residential precinct and suburb of the City of Adelaide in South Australia, situated north of the River Torrens and within the Adelaide Park Lands. History Surveyor-General Colonel William Light of the colo ...

Stepney Stepney is a district in the East End of London in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. The district is no longer officially defined, and is usually used to refer to a relatively small area. However, for much of its history the place name appli ...

/ Norwood *

Glen Osmond Glen Osmond is a suburb of Adelaide, South Australia in the City of Burnside which is in the foothills of the Adelaide Hills. It is well known for the road intersection on the western side of the suburb, where the South Eastern Freeway (National ...

Gawler Gawler is the oldest country town on the Australian mainland in the state of South Australia. It was named after the second Governor (British Vice-Regal representative) of the colony of South Australia, George Gawler. It is about north of the ...

* Mount Barker * Clarendon * Willunga * Woodside * Port Adelaide Institute *

Port Lincoln Port Lincoln is a town on the Lower Eyre Peninsula in the Australian state of South Australia. It is situated on the shore of Boston Bay, which opens eastward into Spencer Gulf. It is the largest city in the West Coast region, and is located a ...

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

Balaklava Balaklava ( uk, Балаклáва, russian: Балаклáва, crh, Balıqlava, ) is a settlement on the Crimean Peninsula and part of the city of Sevastopol. It is an administrative center of Balaklava Raion that used to be part of the Cri ...

Institute *

Beachport Beachport is a small coastal town in the Australian state of South Australia about south-east of the state capital of Adelaide and about north-west of the municipal seat in Millicent, located at the northern end of Rivoli Bay. Beachport has a ...

Institute * Cambrai 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 Institute * Dawson Institute *

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of the Wicklow Mountains range. At the 2016 c ...

Institute *

Edithburgh Edithburgh is a small town on the south-east corner of Yorke Peninsula situated on the coastline of Salt Creek Bay, in the state of South Australia. Edithburgh is about west of Adelaide across Gulf St Vincent, but away by road. At the 2016 ...

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 * Kensington and Norwood Institute * Macclesfield Institute *

Mannum Mannum is a historic town on the west bank of the Murray River in South Australia, east of Adelaide. At the 2016 census, the urban area of Mannum had a population of 2,398. Mannum is the seat of the Mid Murray Council, and is situated in the ...

Institute * Mintaro Institute * Mitcham Village Institute * Morgan Institute *

Mount Gambier Mount Gambier is the second most populated city in South Australia, with an estimated urban population of 33,233 . The city is located on the slopes of Mount Gambier, a volcano in the south east of the state, about south-east of the capital Ad ...

Institute * Owen Institute * Pinnaroo Institute * Port Vincent Institute * Ramco Institute *

Saddleworth Saddleworth is a civil parish of the Metropolitan Borough of Oldham in Greater Manchester, England. It comprises several villages and hamlets as well as suburbs of Oldham on the west side of the Pennine hills. Areas include Austerlands, Del ...

Institute * Stansbury Memorial Institute * Terowie Institute *

Waikerie Waikerie ( ) is a rural town in the Riverland region of South Australia on the south bank of the Murray River. At the , Waikerie had a population of 2,684. The Sturt Highway passes to the south of the town at the top of the cliffs. There is a c ...

Institute * Wasleys Institute

Tasmania

*The earliest and most prominent institute ïn

Tasmania ) , nickname = , image_map = Tasmania in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Tasmania in AustraliaCoordinates: , subdivision_type = Country , subdi ...

was Van Diemen's Land Mechanics' Institution, also known as Hobart Town Mechanics' Institute, Hobart (1827–1871), co-founded by

George Augustus Robinson George Augustus Robinson (22 March 1791 – 18 October 1866) was a British-born colonial official and self-trained preacher in colonial Australia. In 1824, Robinson travelled to Hobart, Van Diemen’s Land, where he attempted to negotiate ...

. The institute had a shaky start, but after the

Presbyterian Presbyterianism is a part of the Reformed tradition within Protestantism that broke from the Roman Catholic Church in Scotland by John Knox, who was a priest at St. Giles Cathedral (Church of Scotland). Presbyterian churches derive their nam ...

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, co-founded in 1842 by

Congregational Congregational churches (also Congregationalist churches or Congregationalism) are Protestant churches in the Calvinist tradition practising congregationalist church governance, in which each congregation independently and autonomously runs its ...

minister, journalist and historian 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 Don (sometimes known as the Don) is a small village, located just outside Devonport Tasmania, situated on the Don River. It is home to the Don River Railway and the Don Village Market. Don also has a Presbyterian church. The local Don Hall was ...

* Ellesmere Mechanics' Institute, Ellesmere (later Scottsdale) * Emu Bay Mechanics' Institute,

Burnie Burnie is a port city on the north-west coast of Tasmania, Australia. When founded in 1827, it was named Emu Bay, being renamed after William Burnie, a director of the Van Diemen's Land Company, in the early 1840s. , Burnie had an urban popu ...

* Franklin Mechanics' Institute, Franklin * Huon Mechanics' Institute * Port Esperance Mechanics' Institute, Port Esperance * Queenstown Mechanics' Institute, Queenstown * Ringarooma Mechanics' Institute, Ringarooma * Waratah Mechanics' Institute,

Waratah Waratah (''Telopea'') is an Australian-endemic genus of five species of large shrubs or small trees, native to the southeastern parts of Australia (New South Wales, Victoria, and Tasmania). The best-known species in this genus is ''Telopea speci ...

* West Hobart Mechanics' Institute,

West Hobart West Hobart is an inner-city suburb of Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. It is in the hills immediately west of the city centre, and shares the postcode 7000 with that district. History The area was first settled as a farming district, hosting poult ...

(), 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 reading The penny reading was a form of popular public entertainment that arose in the United Kingdom in the middle of the 19th century, consisting of readings and other performances, for which the admission charged was one penny. Impact Under the headin ...

s took precedence over lectures, and their original educational aims were forgotten. Many of the buildings have however survived, now used as

community centre Community centres, community centers, or community halls are public locations where members of a community tend to gather for group activities, social support, public information, and other purposes. They may sometimes be open for the whole co ...

s 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

to the tiny Moonambel Mechanics' Institute in Moonambel. Past and present institutes in Victoria include: * Alexandra School of Arts,

Alexandra, Victoria Alexandra is a town in north-east Victoria, Australia, 130 kilometres north-east of the State Capital, Melbourne. It is located at the junction of the Goulburn Valley Highway (B340) and Maroondah Highway (B360), in the Shire of Murrindindi ...

* Amphitheatre Mechanics' Institute,

Amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

* Ballan Mechanics' Institute, 1860 * 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 * Burke and Wills Institute, Fryerstown * Glengarry Mechanics' Institute, 1886 * Horsham, Mechanics Institute * Geelong Mechanics Institute * Kilmore Mechanics' Institute and Free Library * Kyneton Mechanics Institute * Lancefield Mechanics' Institute and Free Library * Little River Mechanics' Institute,

Little River Little River may refer to several places: Australia Streams New South Wales *Little River (Dubbo), source in the Dubbo region, a tributary of the Macquarie River * Little River (Oberon), source in the Oberon Shire, a tributary of Coxs River (Haw ...

* 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 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 Port Fairy (historically known as Belfast) is a coastal town in south-western Victoria, Australia. It lies on the Princes Highway in the Shire of Moyne, west of Warrnambool and west of Melbourne, at the point where the Moyne River enters the ...

, 1860 * Rosedale Mechanics’ Institute, 1863 * Rushworth Mechanics Institute * Stanley Athenaeum and Public Room * Stratford Mechanics’ Institute, 1866 * Talbot Community Library & Arts Centre * Wiiliamstown Mechanics Institute
Tallarook Mechanics Institute
* Trafalgar Mechanics’ Institute and Free Library, Trafalgar, 1889 * Toongabbie Mechanics’ Institute, 1883 * Upper Maffra Mechanics Institute * Charlton, Mechanics Institute * Drysdale Free Library * Elmhurst Mechanics Institute *

Echuca Echuca ( ) is a town on the banks of the Murray River and Campaspe River in Victoria, Australia. The border town of Moama is adjacent on the northern side of the Murray River in New South Wales. Echuca is the administrative centre and largest ...

Mechanics' Institute,

* Great Western Mechanics Institute * Healesville Mechanics Institute * Leongatha Mechanics Institute * Lilydale Mechanics Institute * Mornington Mechanics Institute * Morongla Creek Mechanics Institute Hall * Murrumburrah#gallery Institute *

Macarthur, Victoria Macarthur () originally known as Eumeralla, is a town in the Western District, Victoria, Western District of Victoria (Australia), Victoria, Australia on the Hamilton, Victoria, Hamilton-Port Fairy, Victoria, Port Fairy Road. It is in the Shire o ...

Mechanisc Institute Hall *

Nagambie Nagambie is a town in the Goulburn Valley region of Victoria, Australia. The city is on the Goulburn Valley Freeway north of Seymour and in the Shire of Strathbogie. As of , Nagambie had a population of 2,254. History The Nagambie Region is w ...

Mechanics Institute * Riddells Creek Mechanics Institute * Narre Warren Mechanics Institute (1891) * Prahran Mechanics' Institute * Purlewaugh Mechanics' Institute * Purnim Mechanics' Institute, Purnim *

Mechanics' Institute, Sorrento The Mechanics' Institute, Sorrento is a building classified by the National Trust of Australia and located at 827 Melbourne Road, Sorrento, Victoria, Australia. In July 1876, the Mechanics' Institutes Trust received the land, believed to be ...

* Romsey Mechanics Institute * Richmond School of Arts * Guildford Soldiers Memorial School of Arts * Cronulla School of Arts * Carlton School of Arts hall * Sunny Corner School of Arts. * Cookamidgera Mechanics Institute. * Warrandyte Mechnanics' Institute,

Warrandyte Warrandyte is a suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, 24 km north-east of Melbourne's Central Business District, located within the City of Manningham local government area. Warrandyte recorded a population of 5,541 at the . Warrandyt ...

* Wambat Mechanics Institute * Winiam, Shire of Lowan Mechanis Institute Library * Woodend Mechanics Institute * Yandoit Mechanics Institute

Western Australia

The

Swan River Mechanics' Institute The Swan River Mechanics' Institute was the Swan River Colony's first cultural centre, established on 21 January 1851. In time it was to house an extensive and well-used subscription library and a natural history collection, including bota ...

, situated in

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth i ...

, 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 (1853) * Bunbury (1867) * Busselton (1861) * Greenough (1865) * Guildford Mechanics' Institute, Guildford, a suburb of

(1862) * Katanning Mechanics' Institute, Katanning * Northam (1866) * South Perth Mechanics' Institute, now Old Mill Theatre, South Perth, 1899 * Toodyay (1866) *

York York is a cathedral city with Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers Ouse and Foss in North Yorkshire, England. It is the historic county town of Yorkshire. The city has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a ...

in 1861

References

{{coord missing, Australia Libraries in Australia Adult education in Australia