ABOUT US
ON THE DIRT was created as a YouTube channel back in the first year that YouTube came into being, 2007. In those days, it was the personal YouTube account of John McCredie with a few little videos of some 4WD trips he had done with family and friends. John had always had a passion for gravel rallying and even won the Australian Rally Championship for pocket rockets in the front wheel drive 0-1300cc category. From there, this passion extended to four-wheel-driving and in 2009 John and his two sons Nathan and Jacob filmed their first 4WD Winch Comp.
The YouTube Channel soon started to grow in both popularity and size (number of videos) and was changed from the name OHM26 to ON THE DIRT. With more videos being produced and more 4wd and rally content being uploaded, the channel now has over 14,000 subscribers and almost 5 million views.
Sunraysia Safari 2025: Australia’s Great Outback Rally Returns for 1200 Kilometres of Brutal Beauty
The 2025 Sunraysia Safari Cross Country Rally is locked and loaded, with the final route mapped, entries closed, and the excitement building toward its September 10–13 showdown. With close to 1,200 km of competitive stages spread across four intense days in the rugged NSW outback, this year’s edition is shaping up to be one of the most competitive and captivating in the event’s history. Rally Revival with a Legacy: Launched in 2017, the Sunraysia Safari [...]
Young Gun itching for first Event – AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay
Photo: Roy Meuronen Sixteen year-old learner driver Taylor Gill is itching to get behind the wheel of his Subaru WRX for his first rally. The young gun has teamed up with experienced co-driver, Peter Harris, to compete at the AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay on July 4th. It has been a long time coming for Gill, who was originally scheduled to compete at Rally Australia late in 2019, but the devastating summer bushfires saw [...]
4WD Tyre Review – Kumho AT51’s on the Pajero and Defender
I often get asked what tyres I run on my four-wheel drive, so I thought it was about time I shared with you what I have and what I think. I have the Kumho Road Venture AT51’s on the Pajero and this is my second set of these All Terrain tyres. So straight up, for me to have bought them a second time, there must be something good about them. And based on my recommendation, we [...]
The Mav – Ford Maverick Winch Truck
Peter Bannister competes in a 1992 model Ford Maverick, affectionately call “The Mav”. He and Navigator Josh Flynn were last seen competing at round 1 of the 2016 COMEUP Xtreme Winch Challenge series, but due to a few issues on Friday night and Saturday, could only manage to finish 7th outright. The Mav has a Ford badge on it, but is essentially a Nissan Patrol after Ford rebadged the model for sale in Australia back [...]
Rally NSW Introduces Fast Track Documentation
Rally NSW is proud to unveil Fast Track Documentation, an innovative and near-contactless documentation checking process aimed at improving safety and efficiency for both competitors and event organisers. The Rally NSW Fast Track Documentation system has been under development for some time, with Rally NSW volunteers tasking themselves with developing a system that makes life easier for competitors entering events and reduces event organisers’ workloads. The scheme is voluntary. Competitors who choose to use the scheme [...]
Jackson Long Set to Defend Junior Cup Lead at Rally Queensland
Young gun Jackson Long is ready to take on one of his biggest tests yet as the 2025 Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland roars into Gympie this weekend. Currently leading the ARC Junior Cup with 190 points, Long is eyeing another strong result to extend his advantage over closest rival Jaidyn Gluskie, who sits on 90 points. After taking maximum points at the Forest Rally in Western Australia and his strong performance with a heat win at the Rally of [...]
Alpine Rally Partners with Breakthrough Ride
Media Release: By Event Media The organising Committee of the Alpine Rally of East Gippsland is delighted to announce that we are partnering in 2019 with The Breakthrough Ride to help raise awareness of PTSD in our emergency services personnel. “We have worked closely with all the Emergency Services in East Gippsland and have a number of long standing and valued relationships with many of the members of those services. This is a great way that our event can [...]
MacDonald Valley – NSW
The MacDonald valley is an easy trip close to Sydney with some great scenery and simple river crossings. Suited to any type of 4wd, and even the adventurous 2wd, the track follows the MacDonald River from St Albans. There are a number of crossings of the MacDonald River along the way and some of these are bridges, whilst towards the end they become open sand based river crossings. I would certainly not attempt this trip [...]
O’Malley Bounces Back with Career-Best Pace at the 2026 Lazer Rally of the Bay
PHOTOS: Peter Norton After the disappointment of an early retirement at the previous round in Narooma, James O'Malley and co-driver Jono Forrest responded in the best possible way with a composed and determined performance at the 2026 Lazer Rally of the Bay, finishing fifth outright and first rear-wheel-drive crew home in their Toyota 86. The result was the reward for a measured drive that built momentum throughout the day as the pair adapted to the [...]
