The majority of my money is in Stocks and I'm looking to move some of my funds over to RE.

So it really is going to cost you as low as 20% or as high as 47% depending on your tax bracket. 

KY is still one of the best places in the country right now, where despite interest rates being what they are.... purchase prices are low enough and revenue high enough to make cash flowing rentals. 

We aim to start with flipping houses to build capital for more significant future investments.Currently, we are exploring the option of finding a partner who is a resident of Australia and has funds to invest with us.The high cost of properties in Sydney is challenging ($2M), so we are considering exploring a more distant but cheaper market.Is it a reasonable strategy for first-time investors?

EM was sent to Seller broker's trust fund (eXp).

Quote from @Bonnie Low: Many people do a hybrid MTR/STR approach.

However, the lender that I utilize for that with my clients has not sourced funds from their account, so a personal loan or funding otherwise is still possible to bridge the gap.

Thats a good plan, retail vacancy is super low!

But the basics as I recall are straight-forward ... if supply is low and demand is high, prices go up.  

Since it needed rehab (30 to 40k) I took a personal loan to fund the rehab.