Hello John!
Welcome to planDisney! You are about one year away from a magical time and are in my favorite part of the trip- the planning stage!
Guests from Australia usually have to purchase their tickets from a travel agent. I suggest you look for one that is an "Authorized Disney Vacation Planner." These travel agents have been "EAR-marked" by Disney due to their quality, years of service, and knowledge of Disney destinations. Their services are free and they will know of any deals that are best available to Australian guests that I may not be able to view here in the United States.
However, I want to share some information that could help you as you make your decisions. When traveling to
Walt Disney World Resort in Florida the
ticket options are sold by the number of days you wish to visit. For example, they can be one-day tickets or sometimes 14-day options. Try to find the ticket that covers your entire trip as the price-per-day decreases when you buy longer multi-day options. I would also suggest tickets that have the Park Hopper option. Tickets with the Park Hopper option lets guests visit more than one Park per day. There are four main Theme Parks at Walt Disney World Resort and they are Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and Disney's Animal Kingdom Theme Park. If you have the Park Hopper option on your ticket you can visit all four in one day with that ticket. It would be a challenging day as these Parks are not located right next to each but it is pretty fun to experience.
If you are looking to experience attractions with no wait there are a few options. Lightning Lane Multi Pass, Single Pass, or Premier Pass can be purchased via the My Disney Experience Mobile App before you arrive. However, it is not allowed to be purchased when a guest is located outside of the United States at this time. You will have to wait till you arrive. The passes allow guests to enter the quicker Lightning Lanes that are available at most attractions and can be purchased 7 days before when you are staying at
Walt Disney World Resort Hotel or 3 days before when you are staying off-site. The Multi Pass allows for multiple attractions and allows guests to select three attractions before they arrive based on available Lightning Lane time slots. Once you use one of the Lightning Lane reservations for that day you can make another one. This can go on for the whole day until you are done or all of the Lightning Lane time slots run out. The Single Pass option is just for a few popular rides and it is just for that one ride. The Premier Pass is a "deluxe" option and guests can pay for a pass that lets them ride every Lightning Lane attraction for a single Park for their chosen date. There is no need to select time slots or pre-plan as guests can just redeem the attraction they wish to enjoy throughout the day. The Premier Pass is currently only available to guests staying at an eligible Walt Disney World Resort Hotel.
A final suggestion that I consider the premium option is to purchase a Disney VIP tour. This is considered an Enchanting Extra and must be reserved well in advance but is usually not available for International Guests. However, I would speak to your travel agent if they have a way to help you with this. This tour can include up to 10 guests and you will have to pay for a minimum set of hours. The experience includes a lovely Cast Member who will escort you through the Parks and lets you have a VIP experience.
I hope this helps and you have a magical time!
Happy Planning!
-Nimmy