Update: I'm definately going to Tech.Ed AU.
Last week I talked about how we decided that we'd pay for a ticket for me to go to Tech.Ed afterall, only to be overcome by issues and possibly have my credit card charged twice :)
Well, I forgot to post an update. When I got home from work that evening, there was an email in my inbox from the guys who are running the booking part of the Tech.Ed site. For all the hassles I'd been having, they'd figured out I was having trouble, found my info (yes, they had all my details still, so it had made it to a database somewhere :) and confirmed that the final step hadn't run - no ticket booked, no charge on my credit card.
Also in the email they said all I had to do was to respond saying that I was happy for them to make it happen, and they'd flip the final switch.
I responded immediately, and the next day I was sent an invoice. So it looks like I'm definitely there - and based on the invoice number, I'm within the first thousand to get a custom TShirt printed too (I bet a large sum of money that it will be too small - but that's ok, my wife likes wearing all my Microsoft shirts :)
I've also got accommodation sorted out too - Jordie managed to get a really low quote for me at the Travelodge in the city, so it looks like I'll be staying there. It doesn't look like too far a walk (which is good - I'm sooo lost in Sydney, I can't stand the place) so I've just got to make the actual booking. Which I'll do once I sort out how I'm getting there and back (so I can work out how many nights I'm staying).
w00t!