Thanks OzPete,
Hope I don't jinx it but I contacted expedia.com again tonight in time with the opening of Qantas USA. The computer response advised my itinerary was cancelled and that I am to expect a refund in 6-8 weeks.
I then got hold of a customer service rep and confirmed this and further, requested what notes were on my file. It was consistent with what I had communicated with Expedia previously. He advised that the supervisor from the day before (gosh the time zone thing is doing my head in) had directly escalated the claim and got a hold of Qantas. As part of that, the supervisor initiated the refund process and the notes confirmed it was the FULL refund amount. I asked what this meant from my end and confirmed that I did not have to action anything further to ensure my payment being returned to me in 6-8 weeks. At the end I thanked the fella for his time and conciseness.
I hope this is the end of the saga, but as per usual have kept notes just in case! It's funny what a little bit of accountability placed on someone (the customer service officer I spoke to in the morning) can result in.