You don’t hang around for 50 years in the 4X4 world without getting a few mud stains on the birthday cake. ARB, that iconic red logo you’ll spot bolted to bullbars from Broome to Birdsville, is officially half a century old. And instead of cutting a ribbon or rolling out a “Best Of” photo album, they’ve hit the tracks to show exactly how they got here in the first place.
From Garage to Global
If you’ve been around the off-road game long enough, you know ARB’s story. Born in 1975 from a bloke named Tony Brown sick of gear falling apart in the bush, ARB grew from a garage in Melbourne to a global heavyweight in off-road gear. Their first bullbars were built to survive Cape York, not showroom floors. And that “designed and tested in Australia” mindset hasn’t changed much since.
Fast forward five decades, and they’re still building the gear that gets people into (and more importantly, out of) the gnarliest corners of the country.
The 50th Anniversary Travel Series
To celebrate the big five-oh, ARB’s loaded up a chopped and stretched ‘Cruiser (complete with every bit of ARB kit you can think of) and hit the tracks. They’ve paired it with their Earth Camper, both wrapped in custom 50th anniversary livery, and they’re calling it the “50 Years of Adventure” tour.
The idea? Five Australian adventures to represent each decade of ARB’s history, plus four international trips to show how far the brand has travelled — literally and figuratively.
But they’re not just wheeling the new stuff. Each Aussie leg of the trip includes an “era car” rigs from the last 50 years kitted out with ARB gear from the time. The result is a rolling history lesson, tracking how the cars, the tracks, and the gear have evolved.
Episode One: Victorian High Country
First cab off the rank is Victoria’s High Country. The video’s up on ARB’s YouTube now and it’s a belter. Think huts, river crossings, switchbacks, and more diff lock banter than a campfire can handle.
There’s a who’s who of ARB staffers, from engineers and store owners to board members with racing pedigree. We see the old 40 Series from the 40th anniversary trip back in action, rubbing shoulders with the new 300 Series, Earth Camper in tow, crawling up Blue Rag and Billy Goat like they’ve got something to prove.
And while the scenery’s mint, the stories around the campfire are the real treat — tall tales of off-road racing, the birth of the air locker, and a reminder that these products are born from blokes and women who actually use them.
More Than Just a Road Trip
Sure, it’s a celebration, but there’s also a quiet flex happening here. ARB is showing that they don’t just make accessories for a showroom brochure. They make gear that gets dragged through creeks, bounced over rocks, and winched out of ruts at 3am on a freezing High Country ridgeline.
They’re also using the series to put the spotlight on Aussie travel. Championing the kinds of trips that don’t need passports, just a bit of mechanical sympathy and a good locker.
What’s Next?
From here, the tour heads to the Flinders Ranges, Cape York, the Kimberley, and back to the Simpson Desert, before ARB packs their bags and heads overseas for four more international trips.
They’ll be rolling out each episode on their YouTube channel as the year goes on, so it’s worth hitting the subscribe button if you want to follow along, or just need something to make you feel bad about not using your annual leave yet.
