Events

The Ballarat Hackerspace is hosting "Introduction to Laser Cutting for Makers and Artists" workshops on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. Whether you're an amateur maker, artist, professional product designer/prototyper, or just keen learner of hands-on crafts, this is a casual workshop evening for adults of all skill levels to learn how laser cutters work, go through the workflow from creating/finding artwork and editing/formatting the files, to a small finished product/item that you can take home with you. Absolutely no experience necessary, volunteer members of the Hackerspace will be on hand to show you through the process. We're also doing "Introduction to 3D Printing" workshops on the 1st Wedneday of every month. Check our website for more details if you're interested in that. Tickets are required for all participants (including members), and bookings close 24 hours before the event so that we can plan appropriately for numbers. These workshops are 18+ only due to insurance/liability reasons. Tickets are free for existing members of the Hackerspace. If you're currently a member and wish to attend, please make sure you're logged in to TidyHQ and the free ticket below will process for you.

Come share and learn how people are actually using AI in their day-to-day work - whether that's coding, engineering, creative projects, or solving business problems. We'll skip the "what is AI" basics and focus on practical stuff: real workflows, useful tools, and honest experiences. You don't need to be an AI expert - just curious about doing more than asking ChatGPT questions. This month we'll have: Fun with local models How to run and use local models on variety of budgets so that you don't have to give your data away. Chris Berry from Zainode has been working with local LLMs for some time now after working in security, engineering, infrastructure and automotive. What to expect: Main Talk: A chosen presenter will give a 15-30 minute feature talk on an emerging AI technology or a unique use-case in their industry. Lightning Talks: Any participants are welcome to stand up for 5 minutes and talk/show how they use AI day to day, or a project they're excited about. Feel free to bring your own talk! Info about BRAIN (Ballarat Regional AI Network) and future meetups Who should come: Anyone already tinkering with AI or ready to move beyond the basics. Developers, engineers, creators, business folks - all welcome. Bring your laptop if you want to try things out. This is a collaboration between BRAIN (www.brain.net.au) and Ballarat Hackerspace. We're planning more sessions, so let us know if you'd like to present your own AI workflow at a future meetup. Topic's covered: Text, image and audio generation. Software used. System architecture breakdown. Live demos. If you’re a developer, engineer, or curious technologist, this session is a hands-on look at running and integrating local LLMs into real-world environments Tickets required - see you there!

The Ballarat Hackerspace is hosting "Introduction to 3D Printing for Makers and Artists" workshops on the 1st Wednesday of every month. Whether you're an amateur maker, artist, professional product designer/prototyper, or just keen learner of hands-on crafts, this is a casual workshop evening for adults of all skill levels to learn how 3D printers work, go through the workflow from creating/finding artwork and editing/slicing the files, to a small finished product/item that you can take home with you. Absolutely no experience necessary, volunteer members of the Hackerspace will be on hand to show you through the process. We're also doing "Introduction to Laser Cutting" workshops on the 3rd Wedneday of every month. Check our website for more details if you're interested in that. Tickets are required for all participants (including members), and bookings close 24 hours before the event so that we can plan appropriately for numbers. These workshops are 18+ only due to insurance/liability reasons. Tickets are free for existing members of the Hackerspace. If you're currently a member and wish to attend, please make sure you're logged in to TidyHQ and the free ticket below will process for you.

The Ballarat Hackerspace is hosting "Introduction to Laser Cutting for Makers and Artists" workshops on the 3rd Wednesday of every month. Whether you're an amateur maker, artist, professional product designer/prototyper, or just keen learner of hands-on crafts, this is a casual workshop evening for adults of all skill levels to learn how laser cutters work, go through the workflow from creating/finding artwork and editing/formatting the files, to a small finished product/item that you can take home with you. Absolutely no experience necessary, volunteer members of the Hackerspace will be on hand to show you through the process. We're also doing "Introduction to 3D Printing" workshops on the 1st Wedneday of every month. Check our website for more details if you're interested in that. Tickets are required for all participants (including current members), and bookings close 24 hours before the event so that we can plan appropriately for numbers. These workshops are 18+ only due to insurance/liability reasons. Tickets are free for existing members of the Hackerspace. If you're currently a member and wish to attend, please make sure you're logged in to TidyHQ and the free ticket below will process for you.

Come share and learn how people are actually using AI in their day-to-day work - whether that's coding, engineering, creative projects, or solving business problems. We'll skip the "what is AI" basics and focus on practical stuff: real workflows, useful tools, and honest experiences. You don't need to be an AI expert - just curious about doing more than asking ChatGPT questions. This month we'll have Tim Hainz  from Microsoft and the ICSl, who will show us some fun with Agentic AI, in the cybersecurity space.   What to expect: Main Talk: A chosen presenter will give a 15-30 minute feature talk on an emerging AI technology or a unique use-case in their industry. Lightning Talks: Any participants are welcome to stand up for 5 minutes and talk/show how they use AI day to day, or a project they're excited about. Feel free to bring your own talk! Info about BRAIN (Ballarat Regional AI Network) and future meetups Who should come: Anyone already tinkering with AI or ready to move beyond the basics. Developers, engineers, creators, business folks - all welcome. Bring your laptop if you want to try things out. This is a collaboration between BRAIN (www.brain.net.au) and Ballarat Hackerspace. We're planning more sessions, so let us know if you'd like to present your own AI workflow at a future meetup. Topic's covered: Text, image and audio generation. Software used. System architecture breakdown. Live demos. If you’re a developer, engineer, or curious technologist, this session is a hands-on look at running and integrating local LLMs into real-world environments Tickets required - see you there!

The Ballarat Hackerspace is hosting "Introduction to 3D Printing for Makers and Artists" workshops on the 1st Wednesday of every month. Whether you're an amateur maker, artist, professional product designer/prototyper, or just keen learner of hands-on crafts, this is a casual workshop evening for adults of all skill levels to learn how 3D printers work, go through the workflow from creating/finding artwork and editing/slicing the files, to a small finished product/item that you can take home with you. Absolutely no experience necessary, volunteer members of the Hackerspace will be on hand to show you through the process. We're also doing "Introduction to Laser Cutting" workshops on the 3rd Wedneday of every month. Check our website for more details if you're interested in that. Tickets are required for all participants (including current members), and bookings close 24 hours before the event so that we can plan appropriately for numbers. These workshops are 18+ only due to insurance/liability reasons. Tickets are free for existing members of the Hackerspace. If you're currently a member and wish to attend, please make sure you're logged in to TidyHQ and the free ticket below will process for you.