Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: Benicia, California, USA
Programs: AA PLT,AS,UA PLAT,PP,J6,FB,EY,LH,SQ,HH Gld,Hyatt Disc,Marriott Plat,IHG Plat
Posts: 11,021
You can use AA miles on Qantas, but it can be tough since Qantas opens up award seats to its own FF members about a year in advance and they can be gone by the time the AA 330 day window opens up. Still, worth a try.
On Star Alliance, the most direct way to get to Australia is on UA, but other options such as NZ are good.
If you don't mind going out of your way and probably shelling out extra AA miles, Cathay is great in business class and even more superb in first, and often has availability far in advance and sometimes even close in to a trip. And Hong Kong could make a great stopover.