Hi AWTtrekker, as Lophophaps said, giving yourself plenty of time to prepare will greatly improve your chances of success. I've done a couple of large sections as a relative beginner so here's my advice:
If you're buying all your gear from scratch then you have some research to do.
-Find a good template for deciding what gear you'll need (I used one from this site to get me started and adjusted it to suit two people -
http://www.johnevans.id.au/Pages/KC/KCAAWT.html)
-Once you get your gear, learn how to use it and test it in a range conditions...cold, rain, wind, even snow if possible
-Chapmans book is great, but consider getting the full set of maps for a better overview and mark all camps and water points.
-Do as many walks of 2-7 days duration on or near the AAWT as possible
-Work out your food, water, gas, power requirements per day
-Work out km per day that suits you..helps with planning camps, water, food etc.
-40+ days of walking is a lot to think about so breaking it down into say 6 x 7 days allows you to manage the planning easier.
-Keep your pack weight sensible
-Find comfortable shoes
-Do it at your own pace and plan along those lines
-Consider doing some of the side trips like Blue Waterholes
There are plenty of people more experienced than me that can help so ask away.
You'll find some useful info on current track conditions here:
viewforum.php?f=64Good luck...it's a great walk.