Yes, the reason for the trip is the visa. I land in Sydney on the evening of Friday the 1st, take the train to Canberra Saturday morning, submit visa application on Monday, then head to the Melbourne area to meet up with my mother (who normally lives in Seattle, but is visiting my step-sister just now), and then head to Tassie on the 10th to wait for the visa to be approved. While in Tassie I will meet up with my erstwhile adviser and see if we can get that paper I never finished on my PhD research completed.

It would be great to meet you if there is a chance to do so.