Hollie&Greg

I got approved today! 😊😊

Got our paperwork sent. Was received 10/13. Now the waiting game begins!!

Thank you both for your speedy responses! Both of you have provided some reassurance. 
Looks like we're going to start gathering everything in the next couple of weeks (we have majority of it, it's just a case of compiling it!). 
Some of the wording is most confusing!!!

You already have some bonafide relationship evidence, that's a pretty good start if you guys are planning to file a I-129F  Engagement ring and concrete wedding plans are not needed for the petition filing. As long as you have met in person preceding the filing date and intended to get married, you guys can file now before he visits you and your family in Australia. 
 
And yes, the current processing times is between 6 to 8 months. To get a NOA2, it is now taking about 4 months instead of 3 months. If you guys were adjudicated in Q4 of 2016, you'd have gotten a NOA2 around 40 days, which is not the current case. 
 
This is USCIS expedite criteria: https://www.uscis.gov/forms/expedite-criteria. Unless you meet any of those, you'll probably be stuck waiting along everyone else within normal processing times. 

You don't need any kind of ring or firm wedding plans for USCIS. The letter of intent to marry (1 from each of you) is sufficient. It is heavily not recommended to make any firm wedding plans until the visa is in hand...processing timelines are only estimates and a case can get held up at any point. Don't make any plans/payments (flight tickets as well) that you aren't willing to miss completely. You can file the I-129F so long as you have met at least once within the past 2 years and have all documentation ready. I will just note that while an I-129F may be approved with just those requirements, the CO assesses if the relationship is bona fide. The I-129F's adjudication is taking roughly 4 months on average right now.
 
A K-1 visa is currently taking about 6-8 months on average from I-129F filing to interview. Individual cases can take a month or two less, or it can take well over a year. There is no way to speed up the process other than to avoid an RFE by making sure you provide all forms completely filled out along with all supporting documentation. An RFE typically adds a couple to several weeks to the process. The exception to those timelines is for expedites, but they are very limited and require documentation. Nationality shouldn't have an impact for the I-129F. For the interview, 1) some embassies are faster/have smaller backlogs than others, and 2) nationality does tend to play a role in scrutiny of the relationship and possibly for extended AP due to background checks.