Under Stars and Sky - Architect-designed Stargazing Cabin on Southern Highlands

Down a rough country lane, past paddocks going gold in the late afternoon light, something genuinely different is waiting.

Under Stars and Sky is an architect-designed cabin on working farmland in the Southern Highlands -- a modern interpretation of the Australian slab hut, built by hand over three years. Blackbutt timber milled on-site, a sandstone blade wall, a curved galvanised steel roof. Off-grid, solar-powered, and entirely your own.

The ground floor is warm and unhurried -- a wood-burning Esse Bakeheart at the centre of the room, a window seat that catches the afternoon sun, a kitchen stocked with the essentials and nothing you don't need. A covered deck wraps the front, with views west over the dam and across the paddocks beyond. Below it, a handcrafted timber table made by Darren from trees on the farm — the spot for a long lunch or a slow dinner while the afternoon light changes. Let the evening find its own rhythm -- the fire pit, a glass of something in hand while the paddocks go dark. The stars come out slowly and then all at once.

Steel stairs lead to the mezzanine king bedroom -- skylights directly above the bed, blackout blinds when you want them. Wake slowly as the morning light reaches the paddocks. A handforged ladder from the entry hall leads up to the observatory loft. On a clear Southern Highlands night, the sky is extraordinary. Lie still. Let your eyes adjust.

This is working farmland. The sounds that find their way to you are the sounds of a life running at a different pace to the one you left behind. Cattle calling across the paddocks. The occasional vehicle. Machinery at a distance. These are not sounds that jar. They arrive and pass the way sounds do in open country, and the silence between them is a different kind of quiet. Just a farm going about its day, and then, eventually, the stars.

The dam is below the deck if you feel brave enough for a swim -- the bottom is muddy, the yabbies are rumoured but have never shown themselves.

The homestead is about 400 metres away. You'll catch a glimpse of the farm roof and occasionally see us moving along the shared section of the driveway. Near enough if you need us. Otherwise, the place is yours.

Berrima village is 8 minutes down the road: Georgian sandstone buildings, the oldest continuously licensed inn in Australia, an exceptional Italian bakery, great coffee, fine dining at Eschalot and warm evenings at Josh's Cafe, and platypus in the river if you're patient. Bendooley Estate winery is 10 minutes. Sydney is 1 hour 45 -- closer than it feels when you're here.

No WiFi. No TV. Download your music and directions before you leave.

Sleeps 2. Designed for two.