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.
Palm Valley – NT
An oasis in a scorching land. Palm Valley is out of the ordinary with a gorge full of Cabbage Palms in a dry and inhospitable desert landscape. Located in the centre of Australia, this magnificent location is one of the most spectacular 4wd destinations in the Northern Territory. It is an ancient location and a unique form of palms grows abundantly within the valley. The Red Cabbage Palms are tall and tower above the river [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
2026 Narooma Forest Rally – Live Blog
🕒 Update at 19:15 - 29.06.26 Gotta love a proper champagne spray shot from the Narooma podium 🍾💦 Congrats to the top three NSWRC crews yesterday at Narooma. Fast roads, technical forests, and now the small matter of getting that champagne smell out of the race suits. That is rallying. 👌 #NaroomaForestRally #NSWRC #RallyNSW #OnTheDirt 🕒 Update at 16:18 - 28.06.26 Winners are grinners at Narooma 😄🏆 Round 2 of the NSW season delivered the smiles on [...]
Putting the new Kumho MT-71 to the test
For those who follow our YouTube channel or regularly read our articles, we recently reviewed the Kumho AT51 all terrain tyre that we’ve been running on the OTD Pajero for some time. We really like the AT51, so when Kumho released a new Mud Tyre, we asked them if we could have a set to test them out and they were generous enough to provide a brand new set of their MT-71’s for us to [...]
Midstate Freight Caves Classic Rally on track for 10th of October
In just over two weeks, the Midstate Freight Caves Classic Rally is set for some intense competition in both the MTA NSW Rally Championship and also the East Coast Classic Rally Series. With 37 entries received to date, North Shore Sporting Car Club (NSSCC) are expecting a rush of entries over the next few weeks in the lead up to the second big rally in NSW since the COVID-19 Pandemic led to many event cancellations and [...]
Middle of the Road – Hyundai Tucson Active 2.0 litre Auto
By Jon Thomson At some point in our evolutionary history our DNA was corrupted and as a race we decided that SUVs were a better proposition for personal transport than small hatches or wagons. It must have been a quirk of evolution, because, if you apply logic, there could be no reason why we would swap smaller more efficient cars with ones that are heavier, offer no more space internally and have a higher centre of [...]
O’Malley and Forrest Claim 2WD Victory at Rally of Bathurst
Photos: Roy Meuronen Photography James O’Malley and co-driver Jono Forrest delivered an impressive performance at the Shamrock Haulage Rally of Bathurst, claiming two-wheel-drive honours while finishing sixth outright in the NSW Rally Championship field and ninth outright in the overall event. Competing in their Toyota 86 against a strong field that included some of Australia’s top rally crews and a fleet of high-powered four-wheel-drive machinery, O’Malley and Forrest produced a consistent drive across the fast [...]
Outback challenger getting practice at AMH Automotive Group Rally Of The Bay
Michael Ward Rallysport is looking forward to getting back out in the dirt at the AMH Automotive Group Rally of the Bay. Driver Michael Ward and Co-Driver John Fraser will be using the event to start preparations for this year's Classic Outback Trial scheduled for later this year in November. "It's great to be able to get back into the driver's seat," Ward said. "We're using this event to start our preparations for the last Classic [...]
