[Jameison]

"In 1974 the then Australian team were mostly amateurs or C-string players in the big clubs in Europe."

1974 they were.
So what happened in 1978, 82, 86, 90, 94, 98, 02 then?
Seems to me like a pretty long time between playing the World Cup to me.
A country that is any good at all at football simply doesn't go without playing World Cup soccer, for to the tune of over 30 years.

[FostersExport]

Australia are unlucky to have a very tough route to the finals. Their previous non-appearances reflect that.