The McWhirter family and Merv Heemskerk attended Bathurst 1000 transporter parade

His father had been travelling to Mount Panorama on and off since the 1970s, and as of 2017, Mr McWhirter's son Liam has joined in on the family tradition.

Three generations of McWhirter men now attend the event annually.

It's something that Mr McWhirter believes has helped to strengthen their family bond, all through the abundance of memories made from the mountain.

"It's great, it's a great event with a lot of family memories, and I'm glad that my son also enjoys it," he said.

The family camps at the top of Mount Panorama every year, and are always joined by cousins and uncles.

Having seen the way of the mountain of two decades ago, Mr McWhirter said he was thankful that the atmosphere of Mount Panorama is now more appropriately catered to younger generations.

"It's not as rowdy as it used to be but the boys still like to have a good time up there," he said.

"It's a lot more family friendly now. You've got no problems bringing your kids up here or your partners or anything like that."

One person who was happy to leave his partner behind [more so that his partner was happy for a week of peace and quiet] is Merv Heemskerk, who has been attending the Bathurst 1000 since 2006.

"It's fantastic, my wife is extremely glad I get out of the house for the week," he said, laughing.

Mr Heemskerk travelled to Bathurst from Mt Gambier, one of the most southerly regions of the country.

The drive to the event takes approximately 14 to 15 hours, and every year he is accompanied by his friend, Robert Baker, who he met at the Great Race.

The two now have a friendship based on their mutual love of motorsport, and attend a few events in the Supercars season.

"I pick him up [Mr Baker] in Melbourne when he flies from Tassie and I pick him up from the airport," Mr Heemskerk said.

"We met at Bathurst, through a mutual friend of mine.

"We come together every year and I go to Tasmania every year and watch the Supercars race over there, and it's really good."

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Overall, it's the vibe of event that keeps him going back every year.

"It's atmosphere, you can't beat atmosphere. The racing is good ... but it's just the atmosphere that you can't replace by sitting in front of a TV on the lounge," he said.

One of his favourite memories at the track, was that of an accident that happened right before his very eyes.

"We usually watch the race on Sunday at The Chase, and the year good old Fabian Coulthard come down and blew a tyre and did a magnificent roll, luckily he was okay, and that happened right in front of us," he said.

And though Mr Heemskerk was a Holden fan, this year he will be rooting for Camaro.

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