Hi Andyman.....
Not sure about down under but in Europe age doesnt seem to be too much of a deal, my first airline (the big green one) i joined at the age of 18 without even my school results, they followed two months after id started working, then went to fly with an airline in the middle east at 21 and then joined BA just before i turned 23...which was only a few months ago so hopefully theyre not as agest in Oz!!!! Mind you...Do QF have a mandatory retirement age which seems a bit unfair????