Australian seeking info on long stay visas without work for France

Bonjour tout le monde! I'm new to this forum thing but it seems a great way to connect with people who may have advice for me about moving to France. I am a 37 year old kiwi-australian (dual citizen) whose partner is French. From the research I have done (mainly on www.ambafrance-au.org) it seems I can not work in France legally (and I would certainly not want to do so illegally). It seems my best option for spending longer than 3 months on a tourist visa is to apply for a long stay visa without work. Does anyone have experience with applying in Australia for said visas for France so my partner and I can live together there? How much money am I likely to need to have saved to apply for, and have a good chance of being successful in obtaining, a one year long stay visa bearing in mind that although I have accommodation and financial assistance I am not able to work? We prefer not to marry at this stage as we suspect that marriage may be viewed a little more suspiciously by French authorities as a union of convenience and the visa application process to marry a French citizen seems more complicated than simply applying to live there for an extended period. Also and finally, does anyone know of any lawyers in Australia (preferably Melbourne) who specialise in providing accurate but not-too-costly advice for Australians moving to France? Any leads for further research or advice would be hugely appreciated!
Health and happiness,
Charlotte