mostlyeels - Thanks for the links. The one on the australian vanguard site is a nice simple example showing the influence FX has on the returns. The canadian article also has lots of good info and plenty more to take in. A (very) quick look at historical data of the US total market (VTS:ASX compared to VTI:NYSE) shows the ASX listed variant producing a healthy premium (1\3\5 year).
dungoofed - Thanks, i've been meaning to work my way through that thread from start to finish, I'm sure there is a lot of useful info. I think I'm glad there is not a hedged version of VTS to further complicate my decision :)
I might take up some VTS to get US total market exposure, with the implicit effect FX has in the return. The AUD certainly has taken a dive against the USD of late, who knows where to from here but I'm in it for the long haul.
I'll probably keep my NYSE listed stocks for the same exposure. I originally took out the S&P500 (VOO) and the Extended Market (VXF) so I would essentially have US total market exposure (instead of VTI, a single ETF for the total US market), but with the ability to tilt my holdings towards either one as desired.
I'll put some toes in the water on VTS and see how it goes. I can always make a change later if I see an advantage either way.