Internationally might be a stretch but my family is from just up the road in New South Wales. My current study is with helicobacter pylori, a stomach bacteria that infects millions world wide (more than 50 percent of the world's population) and Perth is at the center of that study because of Dr Barry J. Marshall and Dr J. Robin Warren. I keep in touch with this and that and places along the way. Good luck with your computer search and upcoming trip.

I still recommend an Asus 901 as smaller and tougher for the trip 8-) because I have experience with it and know it is available in Melbourne as I indicated. All netbooks have specifications and they all work. The important detail is after 20 miles of walking you will want to get rid of more weight from the pack and after a few days of work your most valuable asset will be the data inside the computer. You will want to backup online in case the computer is taken from you at some border crossing (yes they do that) or taken by a thief at some stop (that happens too).