Well I've got my visa, turns out it is only good for 3 months and almost free ($20 of paper work) but the great part is you can get it up to a year ahead of time. You can use it as often as you want for a total of 3 months during that year. So soon as I got it I got a plane ticket. We're coming on March 24th on a one-way so we have lots of options for the trip back including a possible Fiji visit.
After looking at the website it appears that my US license is sufficient for this trip. I don't see any requirement in any of your states for an International Drivers Licence unless your home country one is not in English or has no photo ID. Hopefully someone can confirm this.
After the holidays we'll get going on the bike buying. Looks like there are lots of accessories/options available for the Honda VT400. Fortunately I can buy them in Oz from here but have them delivered to my friend in Melbourne. Shipping costs to here are ridiculous and I would just have to take them in my suitcase. These include windshield, saddlebag standoffs and backrest/backrack combo. One option I've heard of but I can't seem to get any info on is ordering this bike with mag wheels (with tubeless tires) instead of spokes to make flat tires less of an ordeal in the outback. Anyone know of anyone who has mags on their VT400?
Happy holidays to all here.