Simpson Cottage Bundeena, photographed for Lodestars Anthology magazine.

Perched high up on a hill in SYDNEY’s Royal National Park, overlooking the Hacking River, is Simpson Cottage – built in the 1860s with sandstone blocks chipped out by convicts whose signature marks are still visible.

Today, it’s a luxury escape not far from the hustle and bustle of the city, and its owners have gone to great lengths to preserve as many of the house’s original artifacts and trinkets as possible. every piece tells a story of the lives lived within the walls of this special place over the last century and a half.