Driving Mount Panorama, Bathurst

Mount Panorama sits on the edge of Bathurst in the Central West of New South Wales, about three hours west of Sydney. Locally the mountain carries the Wiradjuri name Wahluu. The road was built during the Depression in the 1930s as a scenic tourist drive and quickly became a racing venue, hosting its first major meeting in 1938. It has been the spiritual home of Australian motorsport ever since, and the annual Bathurst 1000, the great endurance race for Supercars held every October, is the event the whole country stops to watch. The circuit also hosts the Bathurst 12 Hour in February, a GT endurance classic that draws factory teams and international drivers.

What makes the mountain unique is that it was never purpose-built as a closed track. It is a public road that transforms into a circuit, which is why the racing is so dramatic and so unforgiving. There is very little run-off, concrete walls line much of the lap, and the elevation change of roughly 174 metres between the bottom and the top means the cars are climbing hard on one side and plunging fast on the other. Drive it yourself at 60km/h and the single biggest revelation is the gradient. The climb up Mountain Straight and The Cutting is genuinely steep, and the drop down through the Esses and The Dipper feels almost vertical from behind the wheel. The Mount Panorama Motor Racing Circuit holds a 4.8 star rating from more than 2,800 reviews in our directory, and much of that love comes from ordinary visitors who simply drove up and were floored by the place.

The lap runs clockwise from the start-finish line on Pit Straight. You climb the mountain on the western side, cross the top, then plunge down and blast along Conrod Straight back to the bottom. Here is the run of the famous corners in order, with what to look for as you drive them at the legal 60. The names alone are part of Australian motorsport folklore.

The road is open to the public all year except during official events, so timing is mostly about traffic and light. Early morning midweek is the sweet spot: the fewest cars, the clearest air and the best light for photos from the top at McPhillamy Park and Skyline, where the whole town of Bathurst spreads out below you. Weekends are busier with fellow pilgrims, which is part of the fun but slows the lap down. The two dates to avoid if you want to drive it yourself are the Bathurst 1000 in October and the Bathurst 12 Hour in February, when the mountain is closed for racing. Always check the Bathurst Regional Council event calendar before you set out, because the circuit also closes for other track bookings through the year.

Make a half day of it. At the base of the mountain near Murrays Corner sits the National Motor Racing Museum, which tells the story of the mountain and Australian motorsport and is well worth an hour. The town of Bathurst itself is a handsome regional centre with heritage streetscapes, good cafes and pubs, and it makes an easy base for a Central West road trip. If you are coming from Sydney, the drive out over the Blue Mountains is scenic in its own right, so the mountain rewards being treated as a destination rather than a quick lap.

Driving the mountain at 60km/h is a bucket-list experience, but it will leave you itching to feel a circuit at real speed. You cannot legally do that on the public Mount Panorama road, so here are the genuine motorsport venues in our directory that give you the speed the mountain cannot on a normal day. All are within reach of Bathurst or an easy run from Sydney.

Driving Mount Panorama is one of those rare experiences that lives up to the hype precisely because it is so accessible. You do not need a race licence, a fast car or a fat wallet, just a normal day, a full tank and respect for the 60km/h limit and the residents who live on the mountain. Take the lap slowly, feel the gradient that makes this circuit so brutal for the professionals, and stop at the top to understand why the whole country stops for the Bathurst 1000.

When the scenic lap leaves you wanting more, step up to a real circuit. Our guide to the different racing experience types in Australia explains how hot laps, track days and supercar drives compare, and what to expect at your first track day is essential reading before you book one. A day at the mountain and a hot lap at a circuit also make a memorable present, so browse our guide to gifting a racing experience. And if the mountain has you hooked on car control, karting is the cheapest way to build it, so our Sydney go-kart guide is a natural next read on the way home.