Big deals Down Under, where summer is winter

With the travel industry reeling, it's not hard to find a vacation bargain. But for American travelers, some of the deepest discounts are Down Under.

A number of factors are making Australia look like a steal for the next few months.

In what's now the winter season in Australia, the U.S. dollar has gained close to 25 percent against the Australian dollar over the last year, to almost 1.27 Australian dollars, bolstering Americans' buying power.

On top of the more favorable exchange rate, resorts from Uluru to Melbourne are offering discounts of as much 30 percent to lure guests amid the travel slump.

And airfare — one of the biggest expenses of any trip to Australia — has been slashed, thanks to new entrants in the trans-Pacific air-travel market that offer nonstop flights from Los Angeles.

A recent online search turned up nonstop round-trip fares from Los Angeles to Sydney for under $600 in August (although seats are very limited and fares can change daily).

Qantas and United Airlines, which have long dominated the market with nonstop routes between the United States and Australia, are facing fresh competition.

Delta Air Lines this month added a daily nonstop between Los Angeles and Sydney. And V Australia, the new airline from Richard Branson's Virgin Blue Group, started flying earlier this year from Los Angeles to Sydney and Brisbane.

Package deals that combine airfare from the U.S., hotel and sightseeing yield some of the best bargains. Qantas Vacations offers many (www.qantasvacations.com) as does V Australia (www.vaustralia.com).

Tourism Australia, the government tourism agency, also lists vacation deals at www.australia.com, plus suggested itineraries and vacation packages.

While it's technically winter in the Southern Hemisphere when it's summer in the United States, temperatures are mild all year in much of Australia. And its northern destinations, including the Great Barrier Reef and the Northern Territory, rich in aboriginal culture, are especially popular in June, July and August.