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.
4WD Trip to Mt Walker
This 4WD trip has both easy and hard sections and will provide enough challenges for both the novice and experienced off-roader! Back in 2010 we ventured out with the team from ARB Penrith on another one of their customer drive days and at the top of this post you can watch the full video. ARB Penrith run a few of these events each year and it's a great opportunity for their customers to go out [...]
COMEUP Xtreme Winch Challenge Series Round 2 – 2016
The second round of the 2016 Comeup Xtreme Winch Challenge series was held on the last weekend of June in what turned out to be a very muddy and cold three-day event. The winching competition was held at Mt Borah, 18km north west of the small township of Manilla in central New South Wales. With temperatures lucky to reach double digits and snow falling in the surrounding localities, seven teams lined up to start the [...]
Jackson Long Set to Defend Junior Cup Lead at Rally Queensland
Young gun Jackson Long is ready to take on one of his biggest tests yet as the 2025 Accent Benchtops Rally Queensland roars into Gympie this weekend. Currently leading the ARC Junior Cup with 190 points, Long is eyeing another strong result to extend his advantage over closest rival Jaidyn Gluskie, who sits on 90 points. After taking maximum points at the Forest Rally in Western Australia and his strong performance with a heat win at the Rally of [...]
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 [...]
Hatton ‘Super Excited’ As Rallying Returns
Photo: Sydney rally driver JJ Hatton is back in action this weekend. By Team Release JJ Hatton is back behind the wheel of his Hyundai i20 rally car this weekend, when the sport resumes after the COVID-19 pandemic. It’s been a long time between drinks for the Sydneysider, but this weekend’s Batemans Bay based ‘Rally of the Bay’ will finally see him raising the dust against a top class field. The rally is the first round of [...]
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 [...]
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 [...]
Motorsport Australia Launches New Licence Structure to Boost Rally and Off Road Participation
From July 1, 2025, it’s going to be easier, and more affordable than ever to get behind the wheel in Australian rally and off road events. Motorsport Australia has unveiled a fresh set of licence options aimed squarely at growing participation at the grassroots and state level. Whether you're chasing a club-level podium or giving rallying a go for the very first time, the new licence structure provides flexible, low-cost pathways into the sport we all love. Under the [...]
The Accent on Working Dogs at Bonalbo
It was a completely new event to all at the 2019 Accent Benchtops Working Dog Rally. A joint MTA NSW Rally Championship, Queensland Championship and East Coast Classic Rally Series event that saw 49 cars and crews take to the stages around the small northern NSW town of Bonalbo on a crisp July Saturday morning. The battle for the MTA NSW Rally Championship in particular was rejoined, as championship leaders Richard Shimmon and co driver [...]
