Immigration Forum / Australia and NZ / May 2005

This is want you have to meet to apply for a defacto visa. Have a look
at the link for some other options.

http://www.immi.gov.au/migration/family/partners/index.htm

12-month relationship requirement

If you are applying for a Spouse visa on the basis of a de facto
relationship, or if you are applying for an Interdependency visa, you
must be able to show that you have been in that de facto or
interdependent relationship with your partner for at least the entire 12
months before the date of your visa application.

A de facto relationship is one where the couple have a mutual commitment
to a shared life as husband and wife to the exclusion of all others even
though they are not formally married, the relationship between them is
genuine and continuing, and they live together, or do not live
separately and apart on a permanent basis.

In assessing a de facto spouse or interdependent relationship, the
department normally looks at evidence of such things as living together
full-time, sharing important financial and social commitments, setting
up a household separately from other people.
Note: Periods of 'dating' would not generally be considered to count
     towards the 12-month relationship requirement.

Good Luck :)

If your contact is almost all online there is no way you can prove a de
facto rel'ship, where you have to have 12 months of living together.
Have you considered a Prospective Marriage (fiance) visa? Depends
whether you plan on getting married though, or just living together. .