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.
Wyangala Dam – NSW
Located near the western NSW township of Cowra, Wyangala Dam is a terrific spot for a leisurely weekend of camping, or for the more active, a great water sports haven! It might sound like a pretty ordinary place to go camping, but Wyangala Dam has a lot to offer and makes for a very relaxing weekend away. The Dam itself can vary in water level from as low as only a few percent (it was [...]
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 [...]
Big Names Set to Battle for Glory at the 2025 Lazer Rally of the Bay
With a near full field and entries capped at 65, anticipation is building for the 2025 Lazer Rally of the Bay on Saturday 2nd August. The iconic Batemans Bay based event is the next round of the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship, East Coast Classic Rally Series (ECCRS) and introduces the Shamrock Haulage RD Cup, a regularity rally for new and seasoned competitors. The weekend promises to bring fierce competition across all categories. Crews will tackle ten demanding stages, [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Monaro Stages to decide Champion
This year’s Kosciuszko Automotive Monaro Stages Rally is set to be one of the best the NSW State Championship will witness. Being the final event of the series, the battle between the leading teams is set to be intense. Held over some of the best roads in the Comma and Bombala area, rally teams can expect some fast-flowing shire roads combined with well maintained forestry roads. The battle for the championship win will between the NSW [...]
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 [...]
Finke River Camping – Northern Territory
You're on an outback adventure and you need the best of the best when it comes to camping. Well make sure you put two mile camp on your list! The banks of the Finke River is one of the best places to camp in the MacDonnell Ranges. The 2 mile camping spot located at Glen Helen, 140km west of Alice Springs is a 4wd based camping spot right on the Finke. This camping spot is [...]
4WD Winch Challenge Heats up in Cold Conditions
With overnight temperatures dropping into the negatives, about the only thing hot at the recent round of the Comeup Xtreme Winch Challenge (XWC) series was the winching action! 12 teams lined up on a bitterly cold Friday night at the Springvale property in the small country town of Wallabadah, just south of Tamworth for Round 2 of the popular series. With three stages set to challenge teams in the dark, it would be the Toyota [...]
