Add Your Chapter
Everything Around Us Today Was Once Somebody’s Idea
If you could travel back in time, you’d discover that many of the things we value most about Montrose didn’t always exist. The places where people gather. The projects that strengthen our community. The traditions that connect us to one another.
Each began because someone looked at Montrose and imagined what could be. Today, we benefit from those ideas. The question is:
What ideas might future generations thank us for?
Between August and October 2026, we’re inviting people across Montrose to imagine, create and contribute ideas for the future of our community. Whether you have two minutes or two hours, there’s a place for your voice in the conversation.
There Are Many Ways to Add Your Chapter
Perhaps it begins with a simple idea.
An observation about something that makes Montrose special. A question about what’s possible. An opportunity that others may not have noticed. A suggestion for something that could make life better for future generations.
Our three community questions provide a starting point for the conversation and can be answered online, at community events, through postcards, or wherever you encounter the project.
Perhaps you’d rather experience the conversation in person.
Across the engagement period we’ll be creating opportunities for people to gather, explore, discuss and imagine together through Community Gatherings, Wonder Walks, Kitchen Table Conversations and other community activities.
Sometimes the best ideas emerge when people come together.
Perhaps your ideas are best expressed through creativity.
Some people communicate their ideas through a photograph, a drawing, a poem, a story, a map, a model or an audio recording. Creative contributions can help us explore what makes Montrose special, uncover opportunities we may not have considered, and imagine what the next chapter could bring.
Creativity allows us to explore possibilities, ask questions and imagine futures that words alone sometimes struggle to describe. If you have a creative contribution to share, we’d love to see it, hear it and learn from it.
And then there’s the Time Machine.
A curious experience that will appear in locations across Montrose throughout the engagement period.
We can’t tell you too much just yet. Only this.
What if the future isn’t something we wait for? What if it’s something we create together?
Leave Something for the Future
As part of the Community Plan process, we’re creating a Montrose Time Capsule.
Together, it will become a snapshot of our community in 2026. A collection of stories, images, sounds, questions, ideas and possibilities contributed by the people of Montrose.
Selected creative contributions will be displayed at community events, including our Community Gathering and Community Plan launch, before becoming part of this collection for future generations.
If you could leave one message, image, story, sound recording, piece of music or idea for the people of Montrose in 2040, what would it be?
Three Questions Will Guide Our Community Conversation
Between August and October, we’ll be inviting people across Montrose to reflect, imagine and contribute ideas for the future of our community. You’ll see these questions appearing in different places and activities throughout the engagement period.
Whether you’re completing a postcard, joining a conversation, participating in a Wonder Walk, contributing a creative project or stepping into the Time Machine, these questions will help guide the conversation.
1
What makes Montrose a great place to live, work or play?
2
What’s missing for you or someone you care about?
3
What’s one thing you would do to make Montrose better if you could?
Simple questions. Big possibilities.
From Conversation to Community Plan
Every conversation, postcard, creative contribution, survey response, Wonder Walk, mapping activity and Time Machine experience helps build a shared picture of what matters most to our community.
Imagine Together
August – October 2026
Ideas, stories, observations and possibilities are gathered from across the community.
Discover What’s Emerging
October 2026
We bring together everything the community has shared and identify the themes and opportunities emerging from the conversation.
Check We’ve Heard You
October 2026
We’ll share back what we’ve heard and invite the community to help refine the findings.
Shape the Plan
November 2026 – February 2027
The Community Plan is developed using the ideas and priorities identified by the community.
Refine the Draft
February – March 2027
The draft Community Plan is shared for feedback before it is finalised.
Begin the Next Chapter
April 2027
The final Community Plan is launched and shared with the community, providing a roadmap for the next chapter of Montrose.
Bring the Conversation to Your Community
Schools, early learning services, sporting clubs, businesses, community groups, faith communities and local organisations all have a role to play in shaping Montrose’s future.
If you’d like to explore opportunities for your group to participate, host a conversation or create a tailored engagement experience, we’d love to hear from you.
The Future Will Come Either Way
The question is whether we help shape it.
What ideas should shape the next chapter of Montrose?