Four days, one mountain
The race lasts a day. The event lasts four. The Bathurst 1000 runs 8–11 October 2026 at Mount Panorama Circuit, and support races, practice and qualifying fill the days before the main event. The 1000-kilometre race is the Sunday.
Two drivers share each Supercar across 161 laps of a 6.213-kilometre circuit. The winners lift the Peter Brock Trophy, named for the driver Australians still call King of the Mountain. Brock won here nine times. Confirm the full schedule and tickets on the official Supercars site.
From the Mountain Straight to the Chase
Mount Panorama is a public road that gets closed for racing. That explains its character. There are no wide run-off areas on the top section. There is concrete wall, and very little room between the wall and the track.
From the start line, the cars climb the Mountain Straight to Griffins Bend. Then they wind up through The Cutting to Reid Park and McPhillamy Park. Across the top is Skyline, where the road drops into The Esses and The Dipper. In the space of a few car lengths, the track falls steeply downhill.
Below that comes Forrest’s Elbow, the corner that sets up Conrod Straight. Conrod is the fastest part of the lap, and it ends at The Chase, a kink added in 1987 to slow the cars down. Murray’s Corner then brings them back onto the front straight. A single lap climbs and falls about 174 metres.
Choosing your corner
Where you sit decides what race you see. Each section of the Mountain shows you something different:
- Pit straight grandstands: pit stops, the start and the finish, with big screens to follow the rest.
- Hell Corner: the first-lap bunching, as the full field brakes for a hard left at the end of the straight.
- Reid Park and McPhillamy Park: cars climbing, with a view back down over the town and the surrounding tablelands.
- Skyline and The Esses: the drop off the top, where small errors put cars into the wall.
- Forrest’s Elbow and Conrod: cars at full speed, heard well before you see them.
Many fans spend practice days walking the circuit, then settle in one place for Sunday. A 1000-kilometre race runs most of the day, so portable radios and phone streams help you follow the parts of the track you can’t see.
Getting to Bathurst
Bathurst is in the Central Tablelands, roughly 200 kilometres west of Sydney. The usual drive is the Great Western Highway over the Blue Mountains, through Katoomba and Lithgow. Plan for about three hours on a normal day.
Race week is not a normal day. Thousands of cars, caravans and trailers head the same way on the days before the event. Leaving Sydney midweek, early in the morning, usually beats the Friday rush.
NSW TrainLink runs rail and coach services from Sydney to Bathurst. Once you are in town, the circuit is on the south-western edge, close enough to the centre that many visitors walk or use event shuttles. Check transport details on the official event site.
Life on the McPhillamy Park campground
For many fans, Bathurst means sleeping on the Mountain. The camping areas at the top of the circuit, McPhillamy Park best known among them, fill with tents, swags and caravans. The cars pass a few metres away, and many fans come back to the same patch year after year.
October here is spring at altitude, and the weather is not reliably mild. Bring gear for both ends of it:
- warm sleeping gear and layers for cold nights on the hill
- a waterproof jacket, because rain can sweep across the top
- a hat and sunscreen for long days on open grass
- earplugs, if you plan to sleep while the engines run
Camping spots are ticketed and come with their own conduct rules. Read the conditions on the official Supercars site before you pack.
How race week works on the hill
The Mountain has a culture of its own, and a little preparation helps you fit in.
Book everything early. Bathurst town accommodation and on-circuit camping are both in high demand, and fans who return every year often rebook straight after the race. If both are full, look at Orange or Lithgow.
Read the event rules. Glass, alcohol limits, campfires and vehicle access in the camping areas are all controlled by event conditions. Organisers have tightened the rules on the Mountain over the years. Fans who ignore them risk having their gear confiscated or being removed.
Wear merch, pick a side. Team colours are everywhere: shirts, flags and camp-site banners. Rivalries are loud but mostly good-natured, and talking cars with the camp next door is part of the weekend.
Pay by card, carry some backup. Most food and merchandise outlets at the circuit take cards and phone payments. Mobile networks can struggle under race-day crowds, though, so a little cash is a sensible fallback.
Stay through the finish. A 1000-kilometre race often comes down to the final stint. Leaving early to beat the traffic is how people miss the result. Exit queues on the Sunday evening are long whatever time you go, so plan to wait them out.
Driving the Mountain yourself
Outside race weekends, Mount Panorama is a normal public road, Mountain Straight and Conrod Straight included. You can drive a full lap in your own car. A strict 60 km/h limit applies, police enforce it, and you share the road with residents and other visitors.
Driving it in ordinary traffic shows you how steep the climb to Skyline is, and how blind the drop into The Esses is. The National Motor Racing Museum sits beside the circuit at Murray’s Corner, with race cars and Bathurst memorabilia, so it pairs naturally with a lap. Check the museum’s opening times before you go.
In town, the wide streets and nineteenth-century gold-rush buildings around Kings Parade are worth an afternoon. They make Bathurst feel like more than a racetrack. Confirm race timing and tickets on the official Supercars site.
Frequently asked questions
When is the Bathurst 1000 in 2026?
The event runs 8–11 October 2026 at Mount Panorama Circuit. The 1000-kilometre race is the Sunday, and support races, practice and qualifying fill the days before. Confirm exact session timing on the official Supercars site.
How do I get to Bathurst from Sydney?
Bathurst is roughly 200 km west of Sydney. Drive the Great Western Highway over the Blue Mountains, which takes about three hours in normal traffic and much longer in race-week traffic. You can also take NSW TrainLink rail and coach services. Leaving early, and midweek, helps you avoid the worst of the traffic.
Where is the best place to watch the race?
It depends on what you want to see. The pit straight grandstands give you the start, the finish and the pit stops. Hell Corner shows the first-lap crush. Skyline and The Esses show the steep drop off the top. Forrest's Elbow and Conrod Straight show cars at top speed.
Can you camp at Mount Panorama during the Bathurst 1000?
Yes. Ticketed camping areas on the Mountain, including McPhillamy Park, are a big part of the event. Spots are in high demand and come with conduct rules. Book and check the conditions through the official Supercars site.
Can I drive the Mount Panorama circuit outside race week?
Yes. It is a public road with a 60 km/h speed limit, and police enforce it. You can combine a lap with the National Motor Racing Museum at Murray's Corner. Check the museum's hours before you go.
Plan your trip to Bathurst
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