Type

Picnic areas

Where

Beni State Conservation Area in Country NSW

Opening times

Two Dams picnic area is always open but may have to close at times due to poor weather or fire danger.

What to
bring

Sunscreen, hat, drinking water

Please note

• Remember to take your binoculars if you want to go birdwatching.
• The dams are not fenced, so please supervise children at all times.

Two Dams picnic area is a great place to pause amidst the bushland beauty of Beni State Conservation Area. As the name suggests, this picnic area is positioned near two small dams. Its location, just 10km from Dubbo CBD, makes it easy for stopping in before work, during a lunch break or while travelling.

Watching and sitting by the water is a great way to relax and unwind. Pack a thermos or some lunch and take a seat at the picnic table, or simply bring a water bottle to rehydrate after bushwalking or cycling.

At Two Dams picnic area, you can also enjoy birdwatching to your heart’s content. As well as ducks and waterfowl, you’ll find a colourful range of woodland birds you’d never have the chance to see in the city. Look out also for animals nearby – wallabies often stop in for a drink at the dams.

For directions, safety and practical information, see visitor info

Visitor info

Maps and downloads

Learn more

Australian landscapes

This is a great place to bask in majestic Australian bushland and remnant native forest. Abundant cypress and ironbark woodland give you a typical taste of central west NSW, but you'll also find some small patches of the white box, yellow box and Blakely's red gum woodland endangered ecological community. There are wattle trees abound, along with a myriad of shrubs, which transform into a riot of wildflowers in spring. Be sure to stay on marked tracks and - delicate ground orchids are found in Beni State Conservation Area.

Get out and about

Bushwalking, running, cycling and horse riding are popular activities for Dubbo residents and visitors alike. Ride along one of the many criss-crossing trails - you'll find 45km of double track - but don't forget that these are shared with walkers and vehicles. If you're serious about cycling, why not join the annual Beni Spring Spin, held right here in the park? And if you're not sure which trails to explore on your visit, grab a brochure from the park office or information bay.

In the sky, and on the ground

Beni State Conservation Area is an important habitat for a number of threatened woodland birds, including the brown treecreeper, speckled warbler and varied sittella. Look out for the red-capped robin and eastern ringneck during the day, and in the evening you might hear the hoot of boobooks owls, tawny frogmouths and the threatened barking owl. It's possible you'll see an echidna, swamp wallaby or wallaroo, along with a variety of lizards, frogs and the odd goanna, too.

Our first Australians

Beni State Conservation Area contains a number of creek lines once used by local Aboriginal groups for water, food and shelter. To see evidence of this, make a beeline for one of the area's sandy creeks or gullies. There, you can see some small artefacts and grinding grooves - indentations made by Aboriginal people sharpening their axes and tools on the sandstone.