@Trevor ******

you can cross a border and come straight back if you want to.

Each time you enter Thailand you get 180 days. If you dont want to do a border run after 180 days, you can extend each entry once for a further 180 days, after which you would have to leave Thailand and come back. So the choice is yours - leave every 180 days or leave every 360 (180 + 180 extension).

@Don *****

90 day reporting rules have not been changed.

You get nothing visa on arrival, but you will get 60 day visa exempt entry.

Take the same precautions you would in Australia - read the contract and make sure you document any existing damage (photographs and on the contract). Another thing to check is how the power and water are billed - ideally if you can you want a place where you are billed directly by the government, not by the owner/building, as it's common that the electric and power bills are marked up by owners, sometimes 2-3x the government rate.

Hint - the frequency is in the name.

@Jeffrey *********

if you're referring to the RW4U's interview with an MFA spokesperson, they were discussing unlimited entries on the Destination Thailand Visa, not visa-exempt.

Do you trade as an individual or do you have a LLC or similar setup? If the latter, the LLC would be your employer.

Because the DTV is new, any suggestions are informed guesses at best, but from what some reports suggest, a fair few embassies and consulates are asking for proof of residency. But apparently Vientiane isn't - you'd have to check for each individual embassy and consulate.

Destination Thailand Visa is ideal for your situation