Self-catering is the rhythm here, and the park makes it easy with covered BBQ areas dotted between the sites and a small on-site kiosk that's a lifesaver for firewood, ice and the bag of marshmallows you forgot. We loved cooking up a fish we'd caught earlier in the day, then drifting back to camp as the lake turned glassy and the cockatoos started up their evening chorus.

When we wanted a night off the camp stove, we drove the five minutes into Mumbil for a counter meal at the Burrendong Hotel, a proper country pub with cold schooners, generous parmis and a friendly local crowd. Get there before 7pm to be safe with the kitchen, and don't be surprised if you end up chatting to a fishing party who've been coming up to the lake for decades.

For a bigger feed and a coffee that actually punches, Wellington is about 25 minutes' drive west along the Mitchell Highway. We made a habit of swinging into the Federal Hotel Wellington for a leisurely Sunday lunch on the verandah.

Stock up on supplies at the Wellington IGA or the small grocer in Mumbil before you set up camp, especially if you're rolling in late.

The lake is the headline act, and the boat ramp right inside the park makes it ridiculously easy to get a tinnie or kayak on the water before breakfast. We loved drifting across the still arms of the dam at first light chasing yellow belly and Murray cod, and in the warmer months we watched ski boats and biscuiters carve up the main basin while we paddled the quieter coves. Kids gravitate to the swimming pool and the on-site skate park and tennis court within minutes of arrival, and you'll need to actively round them up for dinner.

Step outside the gate and you'll find the Burrendong Botanic Garden and Arboretum just a few minutes up the road, a 167-hectare collection of Australian native plants threaded with picnic spots, walking tracks and birdlife. It's quietly one of the most underrated wanders in regional NSW, especially in spring when the wattles and waratahs go off.

Half an hour west, Wellington Caves is a cracking half-day. We took a guided tour through Cathedral Cave, one of the largest stalagmites in the southern hemisphere standing in the middle of it, then let the kids burn off energy on the nature playground above ground. The Phosphate Mine tour is the pick if you've got older kids who like a bit of adventure.

For a proper day trip, Dubbo is about 70 minutes north and home to Taronga Western Plains Zoo. Hire bikes or take the car along the six-kilometre loop and you'll spot black rhinos, giraffes, lions and meerkats in spacious open enclosures. Pack snacks and arrive at opening for the best animal activity.

Back at the park, don't miss an evening walk across the dam wall as the light drops. The stargazing here is some of the best in the Central West, with the Milky Way stretching right across the lake on clear nights.

We found the lake genuinely transforms with the seasons, with autumn delivering crisp clear days, fewer ski boats and the most magical mist over the water at sunrise, so it's our favourite time to come up.