I think the 7570 is a heavy machine to lug to classes. For weight you may want to look into the Janome Jem or a Singer Featherweight if you can find any in Australia.... Both are very light weight. Yes, I know they don't have the IDT built in, but for classes I find that my Featherweight is the best. I have all of my 'class stuff' in the rolly case that I purchased for the purpose..... I do love my 7570 and yes, the boards are hard to find. I'm not sure just what I shall do if it ever dies. I don't use the embroidery on it much (maybe once every 5 or 6 years) and all of the stitches are idle too. I may go with a mechanical Pfaff with IDT next time if I could find one.... Good luck on your search.