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Our blogs are a great way to find out more about Secrets on the Lake, Maleny, Montville and the Sunshine Coast hinterland. There is some great information here that may help you plan your next holiday.
Here comes the sun…
Its officially Spring this week! And any of the many visitors soaking up these glorious hinterland days can tell you…
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Putting your best foot forward…
Earlier this year, Secrets on the Lake was forced to close our beautiful hand-carved doors to the public after 25 years of welcoming guests to our magical treehouse hideaway tucked…
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How to include absent wedding guests…
We are all going through unprecedented and unpredictable times as the COVID-19 pandemic plays out across the globe. Tucked away in the beautiful Sunshine Coast Hinterland, the stunningly intimate Secrets…
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When life gives you lemons…
When life gives you lemons… you still have choices... and Secrets on the Lake in the Sunshine Coast Hinterland is busy making lemonade. While social distancing restrictions have forced our…
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Catch Me If You Can Winners…
We would like to shout out a big thank you to all the avid fishermen, fisherwomen, and fisher kids that entered the Secrets Catch Me If You Can Fishing Competition…
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Why not elope at Secrets on the Lake…
At Secrets on the Lake, our hearts go out to the wedding couples about to married over the coming months, who now also have to anticipate the implications of the…
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Stay safe. Stay local. Stay at Secrets…
As global efforts to contain coronavirus intensify, many holidaymakers are being inconvenienced as they are forced to navigate flight disruptions, city lockdowns, travel bans and quarantine rules. Australians are highly…
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Secrets Luxury Takeaway Picnics
Try our new Secrets Take Away Picnic Choices to enjoy in your own slice of paradise by the magnificent waters of Lake Baroon in the SEQwater's northern recreation area. Please…
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“Love does not make the world go around – it simply makes the ride worthwhile”.
They say there are only two real emotions in this life… love and fear. At Secrets on the Lake we choose love. It is what makes us sing at the…
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The Christmas Elves
George and I, and our amazing staff at Secrets on the Lake, hope that everyone has had a wonderful Christmas, full of the good things in life... kindness, love, and…
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The gift of hope…
I picked up a good friend from Melbourne at the Sunshine Coast Airport yesterday, and I know that I am not alone in welcoming interstate friends and family to the…
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Making ‘Me’ Time…
It’s a busy world… getting busier by the day. Often you need to divide yourself between so many people, places and commitments, that the moment you do manage to grab…
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Kindness and Community…
As we wave goodbye to the last of the jubilant guests attending our Secrets Helping Hands Fundraiser Raffle Morning Tea, it’s time for me to take a deep breath and…
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What to get the man who has everything?
Don’t know what to get the man who has everything? Your loyal employee who is always the first in the office and last to leave? Or your amazing friend or…
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The Magic of Art…
I have always loved Art. I love how it helps us make sense of this crazy world, and how it connects with us all in different ways. In fact, for…
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Mother Nature is Smiling…
Springtime is all about fresh starts and celebrating a new cycle of life. Springtime at Secrets on the Lake is no different. The skies are brilliant blue, the hills are…
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Who Said Romance is Dead?…
Secrets on the Lake... I don’t think there has ever been a place more aptly named! Over the years, George, Aldy, and the staff at Secrets have become grand masters…
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Click Your Heels Together Three Times….
George and Aldy would tell me as I was growing up in the Sunny Coast Hinterland, ‘there is no place like home’. But I was never one to believe point…
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Take the stress out of planning for your wedding…
So if, like me, your special day is really not that very far away, and the time is looming for you to lock in some decisions about where, what, and…
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Secrets ‘Helping Hands’ Fundraiser
We live in a beautiful part of this planet… blue skies, beaches and blessings everywhere you look. As we race from job to home, from school to shops, or from…
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What is a perfect honeymoon?
Are you wondering where to go for your Sunshine Coast honeymoon? Our ideas of the perfect location to share some blissful days together after the flurry and adrenalin of the…
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What does love mean to you?
We have based our business on creating a magic space where couples can reconnect with one another in our luxury treehouses nestled in a rainforest wonderland by the shores of…
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The Cycle of Life…
This week we have had it all! In fact, this week as left us with a synchronicity of everything happening as it should We have covered the whole life cycle…
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Hospitality Workers
We have been in the hospitality industry for the last 25 years. I guess we are now officially hospitality folk… and our days and nights are spent making sure all…
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We sell gift vouchers!
We sell gift vouchers! Our customers buy them for all sorts of reasons..... A gift for a friend or loved one, to say thank you for a job well done,…
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Choose for you…
We have all seen those images of stressed out wedding couples tearing their hair out, trying to source and book celebrants, guest lists, photographers, florists, wedding cakes, honeymoon accommodation… and…
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The one that got away…
We have all heard the story. The ‘Big Fish’ that was right there… and then got away. It was huge! Well at Secrets on the Lake, perched right on the…
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Secrets Magic…
Secrets is a family owned and run world-class luxury treehouse accommodation retreat, with a stunning lakeside wedding garden venue, and AGFG award-wining daytime licenced restaurant… and looking at us now…
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Our Aboriginal Heritage…
The Sunshine Coast, and in particular the Hinterland, has an astoundingly long, amazingly rich and largely undiscovered Aboriginal history. This area has always been a place of cultural, spiritual, social…
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Why people love coming to the Hinterland in Winter
What a surprise this week has been! We have had two different film crews through our doors, both of whom called us the morning they arrived saying that they had…
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Stay… just a little bit longer
A guest popped in to the office to thank me yesterday… and this thankyou was a little different to the beautiful smiles on the faces of all our lovely guests…
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Happy Easter
Once more we are steadying ourselves for the Easter Break and preparing to welcome many holiday goers and diners through our oversized hand carved doors. Having been here a time…
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A Beautiful Endeavour…
If you live in the Sunshine coast Hinterland then odds are that you are quite used to excited day-trippers slowing their cars down with faces pressed against the glass, as…
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The Secret is out…
RACQ just voted the Hinterland drive the 2nd best road trip in Queensland. It was only bested by the Pacific Coast way, which ironically the Hinterland drive is also a…
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All aboard the WhistleStop…
Recently we got a lovely review from a family who stayed in our beautiful WhistleStop cabin, situated on its own private grounds just metres from the entrance to the Sunshine…
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Rain, Hail or Shine…
Recently the threat of Cyclone Oma’s imminent assault on South East Queensland sent locals and tourists into a whirlwind frenzy of anticipation, preparation and trepidation. Complicated tracking systems predicted up…
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Your own slice of Secrets…
As a parent it is an amazing and sometimes nail-biting journey watching your child take their first steps… on the loungeroom floor, in the schoolground, in their career, and in…
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Stop and smell the roses…
Secrets is a very special place… George and I think it is one of the most magical places in the world! Our treehouse guests and Dining on the Deck visitors…
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A Secrets Surprise…
Planning a visit to Secrets on the Lake is an exciting and romantic thing to do for your partner. The feeling of love and connection that comes from being totally…
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Australian Good Food Guide People Choice Winner 2019…
Over the years we have realized that awards in the hospitality industry are often based on who you know rather than what you know. A panel of ‘experts’ sit and…
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What makes a perfect honeymoon?
Your honeymoon is the time you can finally relax and celebrate with each other after the whirlwind of planning and organisation preparing for the ‘I do’. Many couples spend thousands…
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Making a difference…
Sometimes we all wonder if what we are doing makes a difference? It is so lovely when life gives you a situation where you are reminded of the impact we…
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Take a break
George and I have just had a week away to our favourite bolt hole on the coast in NSW. We have totally (or almost very nearly) put business on the…
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Keeping Secrets
Over the years we have had many, many guests propose, get married, honeymoon, or simply relax and rejuvenate in our luxury treehouse cabins nestled in the lush rainforest overlooking Lake…
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Why We Welcome Direct Bookings
They say change is inevitable… however sitting here with the wisdom of my seventy plus years, the rate of changes and the extent of them is often mind boggling! George…
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The Secrets Wedding Club
Recently we have been fortunate to host some amazingly beautiful weddings... including our first official same sex wedding which was a particularly joyous and special day for some long time…
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George the Gardener alias ‘Farmer Brown’
George has had a number of diverse careers in his life. First up he became an electrician and did his apprenticeship in Dalby. By the time I'd met up with…
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Celebrate your special Occasions
Celebrate your special occasions at Secrets on The Lake. Beautiful celebrations are the spice of life and we love helping you have things to look forward to. We make it…
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Unique Proposals
One never forgets the amazing emotions of the day and events when your loved one proposed. For some of us it was planned to the last detail, while for others…
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Buy a Montville treat – A Gift Voucher for Secrets on the Lake
Certain times of the year are busy ones, where we create gift vouchers for our guests who want to share a little bit of Secrets with a loved one, a…
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Secrets Artisans
When George and I decided to build our cabins, we were having difficulty finding the plan that we could look at each other and says "This one! This one's the…
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Sharing the “Secret” of our worldclass treehouse accommodation in Montville
One of the things George and Aldy have always done at Secrets on the Lake Treehouses is to ask for our guests’ feedback, good or bad, to show us what…
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The Story About Slippers
Years ago, when talk about our environment began to surface, George and I took a good hard look at what we could do to improve our practices. We needed to…
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Secrets Wishing Chair
Guests often relax in front of the fireplace in reception. The comfortable black leather lounge is very tempting, particularly in the middle of winter. Previously we had borrowed our son…
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Mathew Law Our New Head Chef
We are delighted with our new head chef! Mathew Law joined Secrets Team in June last year and now has stepped up as Head Chef. He has brought not only…
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Breakfast at Secrets
Yesterday we had a breakfast birthday party on our deck. Approximately 20 people gathered as a family and celebrated with great food, an amazing view and best of all warm…
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Dining with Friends
George and I are very busy people, so much so after a huge day, I may suggest "How about taking me out to dinner?" Invariably he will say "Scrambled eggs…
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Acknowledging Wayne
Garden Weddings at Secrets on the Lake About 8 years ago we asked Wayne Colbran to help us create an Australian garden. Prior to this it was like Topsy, it…
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What on earth has George been up to?
Customers and guests will have noted that George has been missing in action for a few months now. They might have smelled a rat when in late September a very…
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The Best Place to Honeymoon?
The ideal place for a honeymoon getaway is one where you have loads of choices, but you are not obligated to do any of them. A beautiful space where you…
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Weddings at Secrets on the Lake
The staff at Secrets on the Lake love a wedding, no matter how big or small. More recently we have had a number of tiny ones... in fact Elopements. (more…)
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Ladies who lunch (at Secrets)
As I sit in the open air café perched in the treetops, all the shades of green wash over me as the sunshine streams down through the tree canopy and…
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What’s in a name?
Years back when were in the planning stage, even before we had completed our plans for the design of our tree houses, George and I decided to create individually themed…
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Plan a Mid-week Retreat… to Paradise
Take some time out mid-week. Head out of the hustle and bustle of busy Brisbane, away from the office, the appointments, the crammed calendar… and head off for a mid-week…
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Not So Secret Food Destination
To introduce Erik’s amazing talent to new visitors we decided to host our first ever Mid-Summer Degustation Lunch in the gorgeous Lake House in Secrets Garden. On Sunday 22nd February,…
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In Search of the Perfect Piece of Apple Pie
Aldy learnt to cook as a toddler. She was fascinated by it. Guess it was because her mother also a school teacher by trade enjoyed teaching all of her 4…
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One Of Our Old Friends
Ages ago when we first met Steve Weis the original owner of "Obiland" we also met Ralf Driessen a young, strong, blonde and rather gorgeous blacksmith from Germany. Steve had…
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Pinktober – A Lovely Occasion
What a lovely occasion we had today! We turned the Cafe Pink in October to honour the estimated 15,270 women that will be diagnosed with breast cancer. Chef Eric designed a Pink…
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Romantic Surprises
Recently we have been asked for ideas about creating a romantic surprise for a loved one for a birthday or anniversary. We say "What about a petal endearment? Heart on…
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