Hello Scoots
Welcome to Poms in Oz.
If you want to apply for a stay of 12 months in Oz, you will need to convince them that you will have access to sufficient funds to be able to support yourselves in Oz for that long without working.
So it realy all depends on what your bank statement for one month looks like, doesn't it?
You may find that it would be sensible to prove that you have plenty of access to credit cards etc as well.
If you make the application on-line and you provide sufficient up-front evidence, the visa would be granted within a matter of days if not hours.
If the computer chokes on an on-line application and the "Refere to Embassy" instructions appear, it means that the application has been transferred to the Oz High Commission in London so that a human can finish dealing with it by hand. Please see here:
Visas and migration - Australian High Commission
Remember that when the visa is granted it will be valid for travel to Oz at any time within a year of the date of the grant. So you could get a visa permitting a 12 month stay in Oz, not go to Oz until 10 months after it is granted, and you would still be allowed to spend 12 months in Oz once you get there.
Therefore you may as well get the visas before you book flights etc, I would suggest.
Best wishes
Gill
