Swan River Mechanics' Institute, Educational institute in Perth, Australia

The Swan River Mechanics' Institute was an educational center in Perth featuring two levels with a concert hall and multiple activity rooms. These spaces served both as event venues and as a learning hub for different groups in the community.

The institute was founded in 1851 as the first cultural center in Swan River Colony and housed a subscription library and a natural history collection. It quickly became a leading center for education and scientific activity in the region.

The institute's rules barred discussion of current political issues; in 1856 carpenter Joseph Chester was expelled for criticising government policies. Membership was by subscription and open to any respectable community member, though ex-convicts were excluded, which led to alternative working men's associations in the 1860s.

The building stood on the south-west corner of Pier and Hay streets, with its main entrance on Hay Street and six shops facing the street. The 1899 premises included a lending library facing Pier Street and a reading room. The site now holds the Perth Law Chambers, so only the location can be traced.

The institute's botanical, zoological and mineral specimens were transferred to the recently closed Perth Gaol in 1892, laying the foundations of the Western Australian Museum. Founding president John Septimus Roe's own botanical collection, kept at the institute, won him membership of the Linnean Society of London.