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.
Rally NSW – Development Rallying in Australia
Developing rallying in NSW is a key focus of the Rally NSW management team in 2017, and there has been some great competition in the Club Motorsport area, thanks to the Techworkz Development Rally Series (DRS). Rallying is a popular and exciting form of Motorsport that challenges man and machine against the clock. In recent years, we have seen a slow decline in entrants in Australia, but in New South Wales, there is a bit [...]
Classic Escort Ready to Fight Modern Rally Cars at Bathurst
Photos: Roy Meuronen Photography Queensland rally driver Tom Dermody will bring classic rallying heritage to the forests of New South Wales when he lines up at the Shamrock Haulage Rally of Bathurst this weekend in his striking red 1978 Ford Escort Mk2. Dermody and Sydney-based co-driver Eoin Moynihan will again represent DMR Motorsport, continuing a partnership that has now spanned more than a decade in Australian rallying. The pair have been rallying together for twelve [...]
Arnhem Land – NT
By John McCredie In the North of Australia is a land area called Arnhem Land. It is an Aboriginal reserve that covers almost 100,000 square kilometres and has some of the most remote communities in Australia. You could say that the Aboriginal people own this land and whilst that is essentially true, the idea of ownership has quite a different meaning in their culture. Recently I was privileged enough to be able [...]
NSW Rally Championship – A Shortened Season, A Big Battle Ahead
By John McCredie The 2025 Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship has taken some unexpected twists, and as we head into the final two rounds, the fight for the title looks more intriguing than ever. With the Lazer Rally of the Bay cancelled due to wet weather, the championship has effectively become a four-round sprint, and only two of those rallies are left to decide who will be crowned champion. Who will win the 2025 NSW [...]
The 10 Best 4×4 Videos
Of course it goes without saying that OUR videos are the best 4x4 Videos, but we've been watching plenty of others over the years and here is our pick of the 10 best 4x4 Video chanels on YouTube. It can be hard work scrolling through pages and pages of 4x4 videos. There is some real junk out there too. So here we have our list of the top 10 sites on YouTube for 4WD videos (after our great channel [...]
Need a Rally Fix? Here Are the Events Left for 2025!
If you’re a rally tragic, you’re in luck... there’s still plenty of high-octane action left before the year wraps up. From iconic coastal stages and flat-out forestry sprints, to multi-day endurance marathons and grassroots club challenges, the rest of 2025 is packed with unmissable events. You can expect: Sweeping forest stages that demand precision and bravery. Fast, flowing gravel roads where commitment pays off. Technical mountain climbs that test both driver and machine. Coastal blasts [...]
Hill and Cooling Impress on Debut of H6 Subaru at Rally of Bathurst
Photo: Roy Meuronen Photography Sam Hill and co-driver Mikayla Cooling delivered a strong and consistent performance at the Shamrock Haulage Rally of Bathurst, finishing 14th outright in the event, 11th in the NSW Rally Championship field, and 9th in the Production Cup on the debut outing for their unique H6 Subaru. The rally marked the first competitive appearance for the car, which began life as a Subaru RS Challenge vehicle before being transformed with an unusual [...]
Championship Battle Heads South for Crucial Ada River Rally
Photo: Wishart Media The Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship heads interstate this weekend for one of the most important rounds of the 2026 season, with the Draper's Civil Contracting Ada River Rally set to provide a major test for the championship contenders in the forests around Noojee, Victoria. Round 4 of the NSW Rally Championship will be contested on Saturday, 22 August, with competitors facing approximately 176 kilometres of competitive gravel across eight special stages. [...]
2014 Nissan Xtrail – Review
I recently had the opportunity to hire a car for a trip around Queensland so I asked for a Midsize SUV. I was given a Nissan Xtrail and I was quite impressed with it so I thought I’d provide a quick review of the car for those who might be looking to get one. First off, I didn’t really take a lot of notice of the version I was given, but I’m pretty sure it was the [...]
