PRODUCTS, PLACES AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN

Sitting around a camp fire at dusk with the near full moon rising — The full moon rises over our camp on the Birdsville Track

In my opinion, there’s one problem with online reviews. Can you really trust them? Is it honest? Does it ‘tell it how it is?’ Or has the opinion been tainted by the mighty dollar?

Well, we’ll aim to set that straight right from the start.

First up. All of the opinions expressed on this site are our own.

If something is good, then we’ll say so. If something is bad, then you’ll know about that too.

A friend of mine once said, “Review the reviewer before you read the review.” It makes sense if you ask me.

In a world where ‘cash for comment’ reigns supreme, it’s a breath of fresh air when that is not the case. We will quite happily stake our reputation on our reviews.

That is why I am an independent reviewer for Camper and Caravan World magazines. I call it how I see it. And it will be the same for any product, place, campsite, 4×4 track or tour that is reviewed on the More Dirt Less Bitumen website.

We’ve been travelling around Australia for the past 14 years, so we know a thing or two about what works and what doesn’t. We also know that we don’t know everything!

Whilst travelling around Australia, we’ve had some good, and not so good experiences whilst camping and exploring. We’ve also visited some of the most remote regions in Australia, and driven iconic 4WD tracks from Cape York to the Canning Stock Route.

PRODUCT REVIEWS

If you’re looking for something that is related to camping or the outdoors, then you’ll probably find a review for it here.

It might be a new gadget to help you find your way home, the latest swag to hit the market or a camper trailer.

From the small to the big, we’ll review it.

PLACES

Every city, town or place has something awesome either in it or close to it. On our travels, we love to explore and get the most from our visits.

This generally involves popping into the pub to get the good oil on all the best bits in the local area.

Read all about them here.

CAMPSITE REVIEWS

When we camp, we don’t need much. We’re pretty basic campers.

But that doesn’t mean we’re all the same, so there will be reviews on campsites from caravan parks to national parks and free overnight roadside stops.

Basic camping set up at Burrum Point, Burrum Coast National Park — Our simple camp setup at Burrum Point Campground

4×4 TRACKS

From the Cape to the Canning, the Gunbarrel to the Great Australia Bight.

If we haven’t driven it, it’s on our list!

TOURS

While we aren’t big ‘organised tour’ kind of people, preferring to explore by ourselves, sometime you just can’t avoid it. The only way you can get access to certain areas is through a formal tour.

If that’s the case, you can expect to find a run down of it here.

THE “MDLB RATING SYSTEM”

Check out the scoring system below, and just what those “Battered Akubras” mean….

There’s nothing better than 5 out of 5 Battered Akubras. If you’ve hit the jackpot and got a perfect score, then you’ll be safe in knowing that it really is ‘Top Shelf’ and deserves its place at the top of the tree.

Close, but no cigar. You’ve still got a little way to go for that elusive perfect score!

At 3 out of 3 Battered Akubras, you’ve just scraped in a pass mark. It’s like a C+ when you were back in high school. Better than a fail, but nothing to shout about.