At that price, you're not looking at companies, but individuals. Harder to find, but they're out there. There's a whole forum full of them (including a few Aussies) at
Velocipede Salon.
As a frequent enjoyer of the Velocipede Salon forum, I can assure you that none of the esteemed craftsmen who frequent that site are selling frames for $1000.
...or very few of them at least, which is rather different than "a whole forum full of them"
That being said: My custom bike is my favorite bike, and I would ride it every day if I didn't occasionally have to worry about rain, snow, gravel, dirt, or other things that prompt me to take the POS backup bike out now & then.