There is no on-site restaurant, but the riverfront camp kitchen and BBQ areas more than make up for it. We loved settling in for a long, lazy dinner at the picnic tables as the river slid past, with the smell of woodsmoke drifting in from neighbouring sites. Pack a cast iron pan and a bottle of something local from the Snowy Valleys, and dinner basically writes itself.

Mornings call for a five minute stroll into town. The Coffee Pedaler does the best brew in Tumut, pulling Pablo & Rusty beans alongside a tight breakfast and lunch menu. We grabbed a flat white and a bacon and egg roll on day one and were back on day two before we'd even unzipped the awning. For something sweeter, Tumut River Bakery turns out warm vanilla slices and proper meat pies that make a perfect riverside lunch back at the park.

For dinner, Tumut River Brewing Co is the obvious pick. Fifteen local beers and three ciders on tap, in-house roasted coffee, and a cellar-door feel that makes a Friday night fly by. Order a tasting paddle, grab a wood-fired pizza and settle in. If you'd rather a sit-down feed, The Royal Hotel Tumut does a generous parmi and a friendly country pub welcome about ten minutes' walk from the park.

A short drive south, Talbingo Country Club is a lovely lunch detour on a day trip to Blowering Dam, with mountain views and a menu that leans on local produce. We ducked in after a morning on the water and the lamb shanks did not disappoint.

The river is the headline act. We loved how 14 cabins and 25 sites sit right on the Tumut River, so casting a line for trout, launching a kayak or just letting the kids skim stones can happen straight from your front step. Bring inflatables for the warmer months and a thermos for the cool ones. Autumn is particularly spectacular here, with the willows and poplars along the river turning gold from late April through May.

Just out of town, the Tumut Mountain Bike Park packs four trails into a single forested loop, ranging from flowy intermediate to proper advanced descents. Even if you're not riding, the lookouts are worth the drive. Closer in, the Tumut River Walk is an easy paved stroll from near the park gate down to the bird-rich Tumut Wetlands, ideal for a pre-breakfast leg stretch.

Blowering Dam is a 15-minute drive south and the spiritual home of Aussie waterskiing, where Ken Warby set the world water-speed record in 1978. It's brilliant for boating, swimming, kayaking and trout fishing in the warmer months. From there it is an easy run on into Kosciuszko National Park for the Clark Gorge walk to Cave Creek Falls, or a winter day trip to Selwyn Snow Resort about 90 minutes away.

Time your visit around the Falling Leaf Festival in April for live music, market stalls and food trucks lining the riverbanks, or aim for late spring when the Snowy Valleys cherry orchards open their gates for picking.

We found the river noise becomes a gentle white-noise lullaby at night, and even in peak summer the tall gums keep the riverside sites surprisingly cool well into the afternoon.