The kiosk on site is the heartbeat of the park for ice, basics and a friendly chat with the rangers, but the real magic here is cooking riverside. We loved firing up the camp BBQ as the sun dropped behind the hills, with a cold drink in hand and the sound of the Cudgegong gurgling past. Pack a generous esky before you arrive because the nearest supermarket is back in Mudgee, and you will not want to break the spell of an afternoon by the water for a quick dash to town.

When you do head into Mudgee, breakfast at Alby & Esthers is non-negotiable. Tucked up a laneway off Market Street, the grapevine-shaded courtyard is one of our favourite slow morning spots in the Central West, and the Esthers jaffle has become something of a regional pilgrimage. We stopped in on the first morning and took a coffee straight back out to the courtyard. It was so good we returned the next day.

For dinner we point everyone towards Pipeclay Pumphouse at Robert Stein Vineyard, which the locals quietly insist is the best table in the region. The paddock-to-plate menu leans hard into Mudgee produce and pairs beautifully with the Stein family wines poured at the same address. Book ahead because Saturdays fill up weeks out.

Lunch belongs at The Zin House on Lowe Family Wines, where Kim Currie's long, share-style lunches roll out of the kitchen garden in a deeply unhurried way. Bring an appetite and clear the afternoon. For something more low key, Roth's Wine Bar on Market Street has been pouring since 1923 and stocks more than 100 local wines by the glass, ideal for a charcuterie board on the way back to the park.

The river is the headline act, and rightly so. We loved launching the tinny from one of the two on-site boat ramps before the breeze picked up, then drifting back in for lunch with a yellowbelly or two on ice. Land-based anglers do well from the bank too, with Murray cod, golden perch, catfish and carp all on the cards. Pack the kayaks or SUPs if you have them because the upper reaches of Burrendong Dam are glassy and quiet on still mornings.

Walkers can stretch their legs straight from the campsite along the Cudgegong River Trail, which winds through bushland alive with kangaroos at dawn and dusk. A short drive on, Burrendong Botanic Garden and Arboretum protects one of the largest collections of native flora in Australia, and is especially lovely in spring when the wattles and grevilleas are in full show.

Mudgee itself is roughly 35 kilometres south and is the obvious day-out. We loved a slow loop through the cellar doors, starting with Lowe Family Wines for biodynamic reds, ducking across to Burnbrae Wines for a tasting on the deck, and finishing at Robert Stein Vineyard where the on-site motorcycle museum is an unexpected treat. If you are visiting on the second Saturday of the month, the Mudgee Farmers Market at St Mary's is worth setting an alarm for.

Families should pencil in Piambong Creek Farm for buggy tours and animal feeding, and during September the whole region tips into the Mudgee Wine and Food Festival with long-lunch events tucked across the wineries. Closer to the park, gold fossicking along the river is a cracking rainy-day activity if you have a permit.

We found the river side of the park wonderfully quiet. Be sure to pack a head torch and stay up late for the stars because the sky out here is extraordinary on a clear night.