The times they are a-changin'

Daylight Saving Time will come to an end this weekend for the entire US, but across most of Australia, it just started. What complicates things even further is that not all of the states and territories in Australia observe this time change. Clocks went forward one hour for five of the eight regions on the first Sunday in October -- NSW, Victoria, the ACT, Tasmania and South Australia. Western Australia was giving daylight savings a 3-year trial, which ended last Sunday. And Queensland and the Northern Territory do not have daylight savings.

So needless to say, this month, I've visited the World Clock almost every day to check the time. Currently, there's a 15 hour difference between North Carolina and Sydney. But after we "fall back", that will change to 16 hours.

If you're getting ready to travel and all of this makes your head hurt, check out this Daylight Saving Calculator. It will do the math for you.

Now you see it. Soon you won't.

Here's an interesting incentive to visit Australia sooner than later...

Frommer's released a new guidebook called "500 Places To See Before They Disappear" this month. There are 21 Australian listings -- mostly sites at risk from real estate developers and climate change. An Art Deco theatre in Adelaide, Sydney's Luna Park, the Great Barrier Reef, Gold Coast and the whole island of Tasmania, including the Tasmanian Devil, have made it into the unconventional book.

Other sites featured include the Tower of London, the pyramids of Giza, the Florida Everglades ecosystem and the Dead Sea.

Author Holly Hughes said that "Many of the case studies in this book are reasons for hope, not despair, and the more support we can lend them, the better."

The book review suggests this reading for "passionate travelers and the eco-conscious" who wish to see "rare cultural, historic, and natural places before they are irrevocably altered or even gone forever." So there you have it. Better get while the getting's good.

The Lowdown on Low Down Under

Horizons Sporting Events had the pleasure of coordinating a team tour for Washington State University Men's Basketball Team in June 2007. They played six games between New Zealand (Auckland) and Australia (Canberra, Sydney, Gold Coast and Cairns). During the tour, Derrick Low had some stand-out performances, catching the attention of coaches from several NBL teams and the Australian National team. He scored 35 points against the Sydney Kings and had 30 points and 3 rebounds against the Boomers.

This summer, Low signed to play with the NBL's newest club, the Sydney Spirit. He's having a great season so far. In fact, he recently put up 32 against Melbourne's South Dragons. And during Sunday's game against the Wollongong Hawks, he led the Sydney siders with 24 points, helping them clinch their fourth victory of the season. Congratulations Derrick!

Top 10 reasons your team should visit Australia

10. Recruiting exposure -- great way to introduce Australian student athletes to your school.
9. Opportunity for athletes on your team interested in playing professionally overseas to show off their skills.
8. Outstanding competition across multiple sports -- basketball, soccer, rugby, tennis... the list goes on and on.
7. Exciting sights and attractions -- the Sydney Harbour and Great Barrier Reef, just to name a few.
6. Learn international concepts that can be applied to your game. Gives you a competitive edge back home.
5. No language barrier. You may even pick up some Aussie slang, mate!
4. Great cultural experience -- from Aboriginal art to their "no worries" mentality.
3. Chance to catch up on your reading or watch movies during the long flight.
2. Cuddle a koala or pet a kangaroo.

And the #1 reason your team should visit Australia...
The adventure of a lifetime!

Come walkabout

The much anticipated Tourism Australia advertisements debuted earlier this month. The new global campaign is built around the upcoming blockbuster "Australia" by Baz Luhrmann. In the movie, Nicole Kidman plays an uptight aristocrat who is transformed by visiting the country and all that it has to offer. In the ads, also directed by Luhrmann, Australia is extending an invitation to tourists to 'come walkabout' and have a similar transformative experience.

Australia’s Aboriginal people go ‘walkabout’ to reconnect with the land and their traditional way of life. For most of us, a ‘walkabout’ takes the form of a vacation to escape the pressures of daily life. Consequently, one of the two tv commercials in this campaign follows a New Yorker who is transformed from a stressed out, high-powered executive to a relaxed beach bum after visiting Australia.

The print ads have the same transformative message -- "To find yourself sometimes you need to lose yourself." -- and feature locations across all eight Australian states and territories.

More bang for your buck

It's a great time to tour Australia with the Aussie dollar at an all time low. $1 AU = $0.69 US. So you can get more bang for the US buck.

Contact us today to see how the current exchange rate could dramatically drive your tour costs down.