Fill 'er up, mate!

I'm so happy that $20 can once again get you a respectable amount of fuel. Now that the price for a gallon of gas has dropped below the $2 mark, it seems crazy to think how much we paid to fill up this past June. $70 to $75. That's ridiculous!

I just checked to see what the going rate for a litre of petrol is in Australia... At several stations across Sydney, regular unleaded petrol is priced at 100.9 cents per litre. The lowest its been in three years.

This reminded me of the shock and confusion I experienced the first few times I bought litres of petrol in Oz. When I tried to calculate my gas mileage, I had to convert litres to gallons, AUD to USD ($) and kilometers to miles. Needless to say, I soon quit calculating and just enjoyed the drive. Actually, after a few weeks of driving on the opposite side of the road, I got used to shifting gears with my left hand and resisting the urge to turn right on red.

What do kangaroos and kiwis have in common?

Answer: The 2008 Rugby League World Cup final

Australia is not only hosting the 2008 Rugby League World Cup, the Australian men have also made it to the final match. The Kangaroos will take on the Kiwis of New Zealand this coming Saturday. Talk about some intense competition. These two teams have quite a history. Back in 2000, they faced off in the championship game (or "Grand Final" as the Aussies say) with Australia capturing the world title.

And on the women's side of things, New Zealand pounded Australia 34-0 to retain its World Cup crown earlier this week, giving the Kiwi Ferns their third World Cup victory since 2000.

North Carolina plays a starring role in the 2008 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament

As a North Carolinian, I am proud of our state for being selected to host so many games in the first round of the 2008 NCAA Women's Soccer Tournament. Six games are scheduled for this evening, spread out between Winstom-Salem, Durham and Chapel Hill.

The No. 1 seed in the Chapel Hill Regional is North Carolina. And the Tar Heels are not only favored to win this region, but also the whole tournament -- despite the fact that they will have multiple representatives in Chile for Under-20 World Cup later this month.

We have 3 weeks of NCAA D1 Women's Soccer ahead of us, and I'm stoked.

Aussie imports debut in season openers

Most schools played their exhibition games earlier this week and open their regular season this weekend. The team at HSE is excited to see the new Aussie imports do their thing. Of the 30 Australian men and 45 Australian women playing basketball for Division I schools this year, 18 of them are freshman.

In addition to the newcomers, there are several sophomore standouts like Hayley Munro, Louella Tomlinson, Patt Mills and A.J. Ogilvy.

So keep an eye out for these mates. And best of luck to all the schools and players as they kick off their 2008-09 season.

Pat Mills makes ESPN's "Top Five College Hoops Players"

Pat Mills, a sophomore point guard on the men's basketball team at St. Mary's College, has been getting some serious attention since his Olympic debut on the Australian national team this year.


Last week, he made Andy Katz's "Top Five College Hoops Players" on ESPN. Plus, Katz also published a great story about him on ESPN.com.

This Aussie import is definitely one to watch in the backcourt during the 08-09 season. Plus, it's rumoured that he will be a top pick in the NBA draft next June.

For all you coaches out there looking to find another hidden gem like Pat Mills, there's never been a better time to tour Australia.

Lonely Planet goes to Sydney and Melbourne

Check out Lonely Planet's video guides to Sydney and Melbourne. They paint quite a realistic picture of what it's like to visit the two cities.

Sydney is described as a "fast-pulsed" city that "struts around like it's the capital even though it is not". While Melbourne's adjectives include artsy, cultured and "the most European of Australian cities".

Their "must-sees" in Sydney were the Sydney Harbour, Chinatown and a walk from Bondi to Coogee beach. When visiting Melbourne, they recommend going to an Australian Rules Football game, Federation Square and the National Gallery of Victoria.

These activities are a great start. But if you want the true Aussie experience, our Australian tour guides, with their local knowledge, can take you off the beaten path to some really cool spots. It's like having a homecourt advantage far away from home.

Australia kicks off women's soccer league

For the past four years, there has not been a national women's soccer league in Australia. That's shocking for several reasons:

- Australia's national team, The Matildas, is currently ranked 12th in the world and has competed in four Women's World Cup tournaments.

- Football Federation Australia (FFA) considers women's soccer to be the fastest growing team sport in Australia.

- The FFA has over 100,000 registered female participants.

So with the backing of a new corporate sponsor, the FFA kicked off the Westfield W-League on October 25. Since Westfield has 44 shopping centers across every major metro area in Australia, the league's homepage pairs an action shot of glamorous soccer players with the headline "football with style".

All eight teams in the competition were matched up for four games during the opening weekend. Round 1 resulted in Sydney, Melbourne, Queensland and Newcastle coming out on top.

According to FFA CEO, Ben Buckley, the W-League "completes the pathway for women in football, and creates an opportunity for the best players in the country to perform on a national stage.''

If your soccer team is looking for high-level competition and would like to visit Australia, Horizons Sporting Events can put together a great tour package for you.

Aussie invasion

Horizons Sporting Events is excited to announce that we will be coordinating 40 tours from Australia to America during the months of December and January. Teams will be visiting states all over the US, from the Carolinas and Florida to Texas, California, Washington and even Hawaii. So keep your eyes open over the holidays, there just might be some Aussies playing ball in your town!