The women – part of a 46-person strong team called The Stacks that has set up camp on the Mount – will eventually be part of an estimated 200,000 people who will flock to the iconic racetrack for the 55th running of the Great Race.

Annemieke Armstrong is back for her 13th year at the Great Race, while her daughter Vanessa Wrigley admitted she was a “Bathurst virgin”.

Their friend Carole Amiet is back for her 12th year as a camper for the race.

“I was the first girl at the camp 13 years ago,” Mrs Armstrong said.

“It’s awesome to come and see it. Even if you don’t like racing, it’s a really nice place to come. Young or old, it doesn’t matter.”

Members of the group hail from Gippsland in south-east Victoria.

The three women were among the first to arrive and set up camp on Saturday.

Self-appointed camp captain is Mrs Armstrong’s husband Bluey.

Mrs Armstrong said the group’s camp site has become well known over the years for the two Kenworth truck exhaust-pipe stacks they use with their campfire.

They all agreed, though, that there is one key ingredient to having a great campsite on top of the Mount: wood.

“You’ve got to have a good fire and lots of wood,” Mrs Armstrong said.

When the Western Advocate caught up with the women yesterday, they were relaxing on camp chairs in the well-appointed camp kitchen.

“You need a place to cook and clean,” Mrs Armstrong said. “We got our kitchen sink from The Junktion here in Bathurst.”

Mrs Amiet said she she’d seen some funny things at the Mount over the years – and one memory came to mind.

“When the race was over all these guys jumped the fence naked and did snow angels in the sand trap at the top of the hill,” she said.

Ms Wrigley said she had heard many tales of Race Week adventures, and is looking forward to her first event.

The Stacks camp site has hosted an age range from 12 to 80 years.