Lostock Dam is an hour and a half drive NW of Newcastle and is one of several dams in the region.
In 1971 it was built on the Paterson River by the state government and backs-up covering 220 hectares into willful, away-from-it-all, hilly countryside with farmhouses dotted here and there.
A small spillway has a large grassy picnic area nearby and a caravan park is not too far away with rare access to a picturesque little river bank, well, I imagine its at its best in a good season, at least.
There's fishing and boating on the dam and Australian Bass are stocked on a regular basis and Catfish and Eels are other catches according to a web site. Watersking and jetskies are banned.
The inbetween months are probably the best time to visit there.