The festival literally began in a backyard eight years ago when it started as a series of intimate “pop-up” concerts across Bathurst.

The shows featured an eclectic range of music playing to small, niche audiences of maybe 20 or 30 people.

Few people outside of the immediate friends and families of the bands would have ever heard their names but this new festival was an opportunity to build their audience base.

The festival was proudly small, but always well received.

As the Inland Sea of Sound returns in 2017, though, it is a much different beast.

This weekend the Inland Sea of Sound will take over the top of Mount Panorama-Wahluu for the third year running and organisers will be count crowd figures in the thousands rather than the dozens.

Again the festival has attracted an impressive list of local, national and international acts that cover an equally impressive variety of musical styles.

Friday night’s headline act will be Australian rock legend Bernard Fanning, with support acts including Mia Dyson and Megan Washington.

Then, on Saturday night, Meg Mac and Dan Sultan will be the biggest names among what will again be an eclectic line-up of performers.

In between, young local artists will also be given their time to shine and away from the astages crowds will be treated to food, drink and kids’ entertainment that will turn the home of Australian motorsport into something very different for two great days.

Even better, though, is the fact the Inland Sea of Sound is still only going to grow from here.

The festival is still in its infancy and has a long way to go to build the recognition it deserves outside of Bathurst.

That’s both the goal and the challenge for organisers, but there are great rewards on offer if the festival keeps along this path.

Bathurst is a university town and that provides a ready-made crowd for a successful music festival.

And Mount Panorama is an iconic venue, giving the festival instant recognition as it continues to spread its wings.

The festival’s future is looking bright, and its future starts again on Friday.

Why not be a part of it?