I have also started up this thread http://www.pokeraffiliateprograms.com/forums/general-poker-affiliate-discussion/15918-pap-cap-event-australian-2009-a.html#post92895 to get a better idea of numbers and to spark interest.
January is also the time for the Australian Open tennis in Melbourne and is mid-summer. Great time for a holiday and to hit the beach. Melbourne is also the cafe and party capital of Australia.
The Australian Tennis Open is also on at this time which creates a problem. Last year it put a real squeeze on accomodation as both events continue to grow this is only going to get worse. Just something to keep in mind.
The APPT Event in Sydney was really good last year, a lot of top pros were there and the event is much more open. (ie Not just a Full Tilt event like the Aussie Mills) the guys running it were really great last year.
In saying this though, Star City Casino probably isn’t as nice as Crown in Melbourne, the rooms especially are no where near the Crown Towers rooms.