Wow, that's a very long time! I feel your pain, but definitely nowhere near as much.
I applied from Sydney onshore in August 2018 when the processing times I am sure were around 16 months. Now they are around 26 months!
The fact it's applied for using post (rather than electronic) makes it even more stressful not knowing the status etc. I was originally on a 417 and applied for the 461 once we got our evidence together to prove we were a genuine de-facto couple. So unfortunately I have a 6 months working restriction on my bridging visa that I keep having to apply to extend for another 6 months. That's definitely the most stressful part - even though my company are very accommodating with it.
