Your procedure is Sunday? That usually doesnt happen here on the weekend.
Whenever it happens, your WLS will be a life changing event. I look forward to reading about your journey.
So sorry to hear about the brush fires. We have them too during dry months in certain spots in the US, although not often here on the Gulf Coast where we are blessed with ample rain (about 44" or 1.12m per year on average) most years. And I know now is the hottest part of the Australian summer. Our TT friends here who live in San Diego have to deal with fires pretty often.
I've been fortunate enough to visit Darwin, Cairns, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Alice Springs - so all over Australia. Perth reminds me of southern California. Darwin is like nothing else! Cairns (the hopping off point for the Great Barrier Reef) is breathtaking!!! Unfortunately I was always by myself, so it is a priority to take Bones to Australia and New Zealand if I ever manage to retire.