I plan on sending my hubby to Melbourne to file for the birth certificate in person so that's done in a day, then we'll pay for the faster passport service. If we're fighting against a deadline for already bought tickets I'll find this stressful and worry about it so I'd rather buy the tickets after.
I think they let me book, but won't confirm the infant till they get the passport number? It seems to be different for every airline though. I would like to fly "non-stop" which limits my airline choices, so I'll ring them next week and see what their policies are.
We can change our dates of flight within reason to get a bassinet seat, like a couple of days either side so hopefully this will be enough by the sounds of it. I know it'll cost us more, but my maths isn't that good and hey, we may save as much by not having to put it in the credit card! Haha.