I was talking about this on the old Thai Visa forum a few months ago. You can arrive in Thailand on the 30 day visa exempt and then you can convert that visa to a non immigrant visa. Once that nears running out you can do the 12 Month extension. I weighed up the pros and cons. If you go for for the non immigrant visa in AU then you need to purchase a 12 Month Health Insurance policy and it is not cheap. But if you go the other route via the 30 day visa exempt entry and converting then you do not this health insurance. Personally I would choose the second option. In your case though being married you could the Non O-A spouse visa and according to Sydney consulate it doesn't ask for that health insurance policy, here is the link to that, good luck.
I have done several Wise transfers over many years to my Thai bank account, it is very reliable and the best rate going. Once set up a weekday transfer takes less than 5 minutes all up.
