Montrose – Discover parks, trails and culture

Montrose can be considered for travel planning through several key themes: parks and reserves, trails, and cultural offerings in the Town Centre. If you’re looking for a hotel in Montrose, these interests can help shape your stay. As a geographical reference point, Montrose is at the start of the Mount Dandenong Tourist Road.

Gardens, park and Town Centre

Montrose Town Centre is lined with First Nations gardens and sits in a peaceful park with eucalyptus trees and native shrubs. At the entrance, a bell art installation designed and created by Anton Hassel flanks the access point. The Town Centre also has a public library. The park setting, art installation and library each add a different dimension to the area: its green surroundings, a specific work of art and a public amenity in the centre.

Green spaces and local history

At Montrose Brickworks Flora Reserve, a well-developed network of trails provides access to intact vegetation featuring ferns, grasses and tall trees. The Montrose Brickworks Heritage Trail offers a different perspective: it runs through the gardens and recalls the brickmaking industry, which was Montrose’s only main source of employment in the 1920s. Nature trails and a specific reminder of the area’s industrial history therefore sit side by side as different themes for travel planning.

More than 6,000 native plants were planted at Richards Reserve in Montrose after pine trees were removed. This planting is another feature of the town’s green spaces. While Brickworks Flora Reserve is associated with its network of trails and vegetation, Richards Reserve focuses on planting native species after the pines were removed.

Open spaces and activities

Montrose Recreation Reserve has a community-designed, accessible playground with a large climbing net. Public toilets and picnic facilities are also available there. Kevin Heinz Gardens are connected to the Recreation Reserve. This gives the reserve a different focus from Brickworks Flora Reserve: it adds a playground and picnic facilities, while the other area centres on trails through vegetation.

Montrose also has horse-riding and cycling trails. The Cambridge Road Trail connects to the town of Montrose via Montrose Road. Together with the green spaces, these offer different themes for your travel planning: you can focus on the reserves, the available types of trails, or the trail’s specific connection to the town.

Music, events and reading activities

Montrose Town Centre offers year-round programs featuring contemporary music and classical concerts. There are also reading activities and programs during the school holidays. The Town Centre hall also hosts workshops, concerts and stage performances with local and visiting participants. If you want to plan around a particular concert, performance or holiday program, check the date in advance. This lets you consider the cultural offerings as a distinct focus alongside the green spaces and trails.

For the broader travel overview: Yarra Ranges Shire.