It pays to shop around for special flight-deals to Australia; most of the major airlines regularly offer reduced fares. Start with Trailfinders, 01 6777888, and World Travel Centre, 01 6717058, or talk to your travel agent - pausing only to decide how many stopovers you'd like en route, and where. Don't expect very exciting deals if you are planning a quick hop to the Olympics. All the best offers are gone. Similarly, it will be high summer in Sydney in December and business picks up over the Christmas period with Aussies abroad packing their bags.