I've been on this flight four times in the past 6 mos.

Unfortunately, it's not a flight where you can cut it tight. At home (YOW), I leave home 40-35 min before departure and with OLCI and Nexus I know I'm fine (7 min drive to airport, no luggage obviously). Here, you need to *safely* be there 1hr+ before departure, which is unfortunate since you'll clear in no time, and while the SQ and NZ lounges are nice enough, I'd much prefer to squeeze in a morning meeting, or, if in the CBD, a quick free visit to the MCA or just a gelato at Gelatissimo.

To avoid worrying about traffic, if coming from the CBD or the vicinity of Central, take the train to the airport (check the NSW travel info site for precise departure times). And make sure to track if incoming AC33 is on schedule - when you wake up in the morning, if you see AC33 is significantly delayed, so will AC34 when they get around to it.

The one time I took a cab and was slightly delayed, I arrived with about 5 mins to spare to the 60 min deadline. I didn't directly ask if they were just about to close check-in, but the "OK, breathe a sigh of relief" welcome I got at the SE or Bus class window (forget which) made it clear I was one of the last to check in.