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.
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 [...]
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 [...]
Mount Moffatt – QLD
It's remote, it's quiet and it's a great place to get back to nature. Mount Moffatt is an isolated, yet easily accessible part of Queensland's remote inland. What's more, for Brisbane based camping enthusiasts, it's only a days drive from town. If you want to go somewhere for some remote camping, then Mount Moffatt in the Carnarvon National Park certainly lives up to that title. Whilst it is very close to the Carnarvon Gorge itself, [...]
Redhead and Winwood-Smith Swap Outright Pace for Classic Fun at Rally of the Bay
Photo: Roy Meuronen Photography Josh Redhead and Ray Winwood-Smith will take a very different approach to the 2026 Lazer Rally of the Bay, swapping their front-running Mitsubishi Evo V for a shed-built Datsun Stanza. The pair had hoped to continue fighting at the front of the Shamrock Haulage NSW Rally Championship in Batemans Bay, but with the Evo now undergoing preparation for the upcoming Australian Rally Championship round in Tasmania, Redhead has made the difficult [...]
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 [...]
All New 2021 Isuzu D-Max – First Look
The all new Isuzu D-Max will be officially on sale from the 1st of September and we here at “On the Dirt” have been given the opportunity to take one for a test drive. In this article, we will give an overview of our first impressions of this brand new 4WD Ute. If you are reading this and you know the D-Max well, you will need to re-acquaint yourself, because the MY21 model is a [...]
Comeback Success in Safari for McCredie and Maude in Holden Jackaroo
After a 20-year break from competitive rally driving, John McCredie and Nick Maude returned to rallying taking on the 2022 Local Legends Sunraysia Safari Cross Country Rally in an ex-Bruce Garland Holden Jackaroo. The 2022 event was shortened significantly due to wet weather, with Day 2 and Day 3 cancelled. The first day of competition started with a 100km stage, followed by the shortened Tarcoola 25km test. The final day was just one stage, but [...]
Toyota Hilux 1998 Review
When buying a second hand four wheel drive, if it’s a Ute you’re after then it’s likely that you’ll have included the Toyota Hilux on your list of Utes to go and have a look at. If you’re looking for a bargain, then the 1998 2.7 litre petrol Dual Cab could be just the one for you. It’s a very capable off-road machine and probably one of the most easily modified vehicle on the market. [...]
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 [...]
