What should I do if my Thai visa application is delayed and I have a flight soon?

I am sorry you are in this stressful spot this happens a lot with Canberra embassy and you are not alone.

If you fly Monday twenty sixth on visa exempt you can enter Thailand for sixty days as tourist without visa. Many do this while DTV is still processing but there is small risk. Your DTV if approved while you are inside Thailand may need you to exit and re enter to activate it or some consulates cancel if you are already in country. Best is to keep proof that you applied before travel and do not overstay visa exempt.

For urgent help try email consular dot Canberra at mfa dot go dot th and also message Thai MFA Facebook page with your reference number. If possible go to embassy in person early morning Monday before flight with printed application and ask for urgent check. Some got approval same day after in person visit.

For backup plan for family entry on visa exempt and how to add daughter later you can read Unlock Thailand by Isla Rey on Amazon. It has steps for switching from visa exempt to DTV and how to avoid losing flights when embassy is slow.

With my experience, DTV application applying from Canberra took around 5-6 weeks after submission. There is no way to expedite the visa peocessing. If you enter Thailand while your DTV is still in process. The embassy will reject or ask you return to Australia so they continue processing. They are connct eith Thai immigration and can tracks any foreigners entering and exit Thailand

As mentioned, try reaching out through social media. Embassies can take weeks to issue visas so unfortunately it may take some time. I think it would have been better to wait for your visa approval before selling everything, especially when you have a dependent to consider. Hopefully, you can get everything sorted out soon.

Have you contacted them via their social media? That sometimes gets a quicker response than emails.