Indigo 2030

Indigo Shire in the year 2030

What is the Indigo 2030 project?

If you had a crystal ball, what do you think you would see in Indigo Shire in the year 2030? This project involved Indigo residents imagining the future and how it might be achieved. This is the story of how we did it. And at the end of the process, we won an award for it - the 2011 John Jago Good Governance Award from the Victorian Local Governance Association.

Download the Indigo 2030 Report here (2MB PDFdocument).

Why did we do it?

In order to plan for the future, we need a clear direction.  Indigo 2030 generated community conversations and identified ideas, values and priorities. Indigo 2030 Report provides a high level, long-term pointer for the Council and the community from which more specific planning can be developed. It sits above the Council Plan, which guides the work Council does during a four-year election cycle.              

How did we do it?

We used diverse and unusual mechanisms to gather the collective wisdom and ideas of our people.

1. Community Champions

We used our people who volunteered to help spread the word about the project. Our community is full of busy people.  Many people are interested in contributing to the shape of their areas but are unable to attend meetings.  Our Community Champions were  out and about in all the Indigo Shire towns.  They covered all areas, from the main street, the library, in the school yard and the footy.

2. Visual Art and Short Story Competitions

3. Postcard 

All homes and businesses in Indigo Shire  received a Reply Paid postcard in the mail.  This had information about the project. We invited you to write or draw your ideas for the future on the card and post it back to us.  We received  over 170 excellent responses via this method.

4. Indigo 2030 Song

Indigo Shire is home to many amazing and talented musicians, so we created a song that tells us what people in Indigo Shire see for their future.  With the help of Yackandandah's Peter Denahy the Indigo 2030 song is an "anthem” for  our community.  It has been recorded, and will be used in the Indigo 2030 film and other Indigo Shire promotional activities. 

5. The Film

How do we communicate the results of the stories, visual art, conversations and song?  A film of course! The film is an inspiring, unique piece about living in Indigo Shire and tells us about who we are now, as well as what sort of future we are working towards. The film is in the final editing phase. When finished it will be shown at community events, as well as serve as a summary of the results of the Indigo 2030 project.