Wow. Called back and got a really helpful AAgent. Was able to hold flights to Australia in about 10 minutes. Glad I called back.

And it was good to know I wasn't way off base in my understanding of the OW award...still need to work on the exact itinerary of the OW award and weigh connections vs. cost. But getting to/fro Down Under was my main goal so glad to have that done

Thanks everyone for the support & advice.