Thanks for the tips on flying VA. I had a look for fares in November 2013 (last dates open for now) and it comes out 150K for each of us from LAX-SYD. I'll need to work on the ATL-LAX leg, but that's an easy pill to swallow with cash, if needed. We'll likely adjust our flight to stay in LAX for a day to see some sights (my wife has never been) and to avoid any chaos at the airport. I still need to work on the itinerary for AUS, but we'll likely do a combination of SYD-CNS-MEL. This is the trip I took about 10 years ago with my father (MEL-CNS-SYD) and I fell in love with the areas we visited. I'm really looking forward to this trip, so I thank you for your assistance... you really made this a realistic possibility for late next year!