Almost 15 years after the death of legendary Australian race car driver Peter Brock, his son, Robert, is looking for the "right place" to spread his portion of his father's ashes.
It's been a long and emotional journey for Robert, 40, since his father's race car skidded off a left-hand bend into a tree during the 2006 Targa West rally.
Now Robert is considering at least three locations across Australia where he might spread his famous father's ashes.
One frontrunner is Mount Panorama-Wahluu near Bathurst, where his Sport Australia hall-of-famer dad won the Bathurst 1000 a staggering nine times.
Robert recently visited the mountain, alone, with his dad's ashes for the first time.
"Ever since Dad died, it was something I had been sort of toying with as far as something I'd like to do, but I hadn't had the opportunity to do it," he said.
"Even though there were a few people up there, I don't think they had any clue as to what was going on or the significance of what I was doing.
Sport Australia Hall of Fame chair John Bertrand said Peter Brock made a lasting impact on Australian motorsport that had "transcended generations".
"He is often applauded as one of Australia's sporting greats and is an internationally recognised motor-racing hero who has been mentioned alongside the likes of Senna, Schumacher, Fangio and Tazio Nuvolari, further enhancing [Peter Brock's] reputation as one of the most exciting drivers of all time," Bertrand said.
"Even after his untimely death in 2006, his name is synonymous with V8 racing fans across the country and he was a worthy inductee to the Sport Australia Hall of Fame."
Final resting place
After two short failed marriages early in his career, Peter Brock settled down with long-time companion Bev McIntosh and they had two children, Robert and Alexandra. The siblings have a half-brother, James, Bev's eldest son. At the time of his death in 2006, Brock was engaged to Julie Bamford.
Mount Panorama-Wahluu is just one place Robert is thinking of spreading his portion of Brock's ashes.
"I know that the fans would say that this is the place [they have] to be spread, and I don't completely disagree with them … but, at the same time, I know that Dad had a lot of connections to other sorts of spiritual places," he said.
Robert said the family also enjoyed trips to their holiday house in Port Douglas where they would spend hours snorkelling on the Great Barrier Reef or soaking up the sun on a catamaran.
When he chooses a spot, he said, he would extend an invitation to his family and would keep fans in the loop.
Soul searching
After his dad died, Robert said he felt "lost for a long time in Melbourne", and that moving to central NSW "felt right" to "re-take control" of his life.
"I'd been jumping from job to job and nothing quite felt right," he said.
"I know the Bathurst-Orange area and I've spent a fair bit of time there and I bit the bullet and started applying for jobs in the area and made the move.
Robert said it had taken him a while to process the death of his father.
"I know I've spent more than enough time just talking to Dad's box of ashes I guess, as crazy as it sounds, just trying to find answers and understand things," he said.
Robert said that, while he enjoyed a degree of anonymity, when race time comes around, he's more than happy to answer questions about his father.
Growing up with racing legend
Robert said his childhood was very different to what his friends had and recalled a day when he was taken out of school for special father-son experience.
"I guess it was unfortunate that we weren't able to spend as much of those formative childhood years together, but we made the most of what we could. I bonded more with him after he'd sort of retired."
Now, Robert is sharing his father's legacy with his own two children, neither of whom had the opportunity to meet Peter Perfect before he died.
