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 of the Bay – Drama and Crashes!
Story by Neil Blackbourn and Pictures by Dave King Any rally around the Batemans Bay Area is tough and demanding on cars and crews. Not to much in the way of room beside any of the roads, and lots of twists, turns and rocks to catch you out if just a little off line. But the action from Saturday’s 2019 edition of the MTA NSW Rally Championship, incorporating the Geelong Hino Victorian Rally Championship was [...]
Mitsubishi Pajero NP 2002 Review
The Mitsubishi Pajero is a very popular four-wheel drive in Australia, and whilst many of them are just glorified wagons to pick up the kids from school, as an off roader, they go alright. Today, we’re going to take a look at the very first NP model Pajero as a second-hand buy. And the model we’re reviewing is a 3.5 litre, Petrol, top of the Range, very late 2002, Exceed. Mitsubishi designed a monocoque body for [...]
Victorians looking to impress at the AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay
Victorians Adrian Stratford and Kain Manning will be debuting a fully rebuilt Ford Fiesta ST at the AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay. The car was purchased late last year and completely stripped down, with many improvements made to make it ready for the 2020 Till Hino Victorian Rally Championship (VRC). In addition to the VRC, the team were also hoping to enter at least three Australian Rally Championship (ARC) rounds, however the COVID-19 pandemic [...]
Jackson Long to Drive Brinkman’s WRX Challenge Car at Adelaide Hills Rally
After an impressive performance at the 2025 Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland, rising rally star Jackson Long has been provided a major opportunity. He will pilot Glenn Brinkman’s Subaru WRX Challenge car at the upcoming Adelaide Hills Rally, a round of the Bosch Motorsport Australian Rally Championship. Brinkman, who is committed to running his iconic Ford Escort Cosworth in the South Australian Rally Championship, made the decision to keep his WRX Challenge car on the road [...]
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 [...]
ARB Winch Truck Challenge (WTC) 2015
Featuring some of the best competition trucks in Central Queensland, this event has great action, extreme winch walls, a family friendly atmosphere and some great camping facilities so you can make a weekend of it. Held in the Rockhampton District of Central Queensland, this event attracts teams from all over Queensland and is a popular event for both Drivers, Navigators and Spectators. There is always plenty of action and the courses are set to allow [...]
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 [...]
Green Light for AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay
The 2020 running of the AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay has now received a ‘Green Light’ from Motorsport Australia. The final approval was given to North Shore Sporting Car Club (NSSCC) based on the event falling within the Motorsport Australia ‘Return to Race Strategy’, which is approved by the NSW State Government. Whilst NSSCC has been pushing ahead with plans for the Rally, there was always the possibility that further restrictions could have been [...]
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 [...]
