Thanks for all the kind words about the article, everyone. Happy new year.
I understand that completely. Australia was three flights and 24 total hours of travel time for me (that's not including the 6+ hours of additional flights to/from New Zealand in the middle of the trip). I've never been to Kuwait so I can't compare, but to me, the travel time to the land Down Under was worth it. If you ever have the opportunity to go, I highly recommend it despite the travel time.
It's a normal road people use (and have to use) on a daily basis. In the case of several homes, the track is the only way to get to their property!
Yes, it's a beautiful part of Australia.
Lucky you! Bathurst looked like a very nice place to live. Aside from the restaurant where I ate dinner (Pantano's Bar & Grill) and the staff at the museum, I didn't get a chance to speak with any locals. What's it like to live there? Does everything revolve around the track and race events?
No, nothing can compare to the Nurburgring, it truly is one-of-a-kind.
However, the Nurburgring and Mount Panorama are similar in terms of just how "accessible" they are to the average person, which was my main takeaway from my visit and this article.
When you visit most race tracks (especially when there's no race going on), you're lucky to peek through some fences at your favorite corners. Mount Panorama's status as a fully public, unobstructed road is — as far as I'm aware — completely unique among top-tier international circuits, and that's what makes it such a great place for enthusiasts to visit. Yes, the Nurburgring comes out on top considering you can drive it "flat-out" in your own car for a few Euros, but you can't pull off to the side of the road for a few pictures (unless you have a death wish), and you can't drive the full length of the Dottinger Hohe or the GP track.
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