About Us

Secrets is not a big glossy magazine with a price tag to match, in fact Secrets is priceless.  We’re a home spun, handful sized bundle of warm, friendly, stories about the people and places of a very special piece of Victoria. Cobbled together over fifteen years ago by mother and son team Norma and Nick Morton, who knew very little about publishing at the time, maybe some would say we still don’t, but what we do know is that our region has a life of its own that needs to be shared.  So this magazine is a love story – love for all that is good about Central Victoria – love of writing that speaks to the reader, images that come from people who love the region as much as we do. A real love story!

It doesn’t matter how you look at it, there is no denying that country towns have changed, especially in the Central Victorian region – there is an energy and an appetite for progress that has placed towns like Daylesford, Castlemaine, Maldon, Maryborough, Creswick, Clunes and the regional cities of Ballarat and Bendigo not only onto the tourist map, but as desired relocation destinations. 

It’s great that no longer do you need to ask “where do I get a coffee” – don’t laugh, it wasn’t too long ago where that was the case – now the question is “where do I get the best coffee”.  We escaped Melbourne a few decades ago and haven’t regretted it for one minute.  Now don’t get me wrong – there is nothing wrong with Melbourne – as cities go, it is definitely ‘top of the pops’ and is still a great place to visit, but I won’t deny that the drive home is rather sweet.

There is so much on offer in Central Victoria, great food, good wine, craft beers, arts and crafts, theatre, sports, great country markets, festivals and stunning countryside – the list goes on and on and on ….  And that’s without mentioning the extraordinary people who make this such an exceptional part of the planet.

Now with the untold reach through the web and social media, the world has become a much smaller place.  The size of Secrets Magazine allows for an easy carry and the matte paper stock reflects that rustic, country feel.  The writing style, is friendly, honest and down to earth – and the same goes for our photography, which is a mix of quality contributions and from our own talented team.

For those who prefer their information delivered on an electronic device, we have covered that too through this website where the magazine can be read in full each issue,  with our featured stories highlighted.  But exciting things don’t just wait until the print magazine is produced, that’s why we add newsy bits and pieces as they happen and post to our website, share on Facebook and post to Instagram, however if you subscribe, you will have updates delivered direct to your inbox.  We look forward to sharing a wonderful region with you.

Norma Morton
Editor

Who We Are

There is so much on offer, great food, good wine, craft beers, arts and crafts, theatre, sports, great country markets, festivals and the list goes on and on and on ….  And that’s without mentioning the extraordinary people who make this such an exceptional piece of the planet.