Extended stay after 60 days in Spain

https://spain.embassy.gov.au/madr/Australiantravellers.html

This may help provide some info

Your travel agent is wrong. As a non-European you may stay for 90 days at a time in the Schengen area, and getting that period extended for tourism purposes is hard.

However, if you plan to visit Denmark you can end your trip there as Denmark permits some non-Europeans (like Australian citizens) to stay 90 days in the country regardless of time spent in other Schengen countries.

The penalties for overstaying in the Schengen Zone are harsh, so don’t overstay. The day in starts the clock ticking and your last day also counts, so a week is 8 days out of your 90.

There is no way to reset the clock by say visiting the U.K. (outside Schengen), as it’s a cumulative rolling total, so 90 days in any 180 day period.

Unfortunately, there is no easy way to stay for 4 months. There are longer term visas, but these are designed for people living moving there, not just people on an extended holiday. This is an issue that we are grappling with thanks to Brexit - we can’t go when we want, as we have to abide by the 90 day rule.

Just backing up the other posters here.

Gringo, we're assuming you are an Australian citizen? If so, the 90-day visa waiver rule for the Schengen zone (meaning you don't need a visa) holds true. The 90 days start from when your passport is stamped upon entry to the zone. When the 90 days are up, you need to exit the zone for 180 days before the 90 days is reset. And as the others have said, trying to get the visa needed to extend your time would be very difficult. People wishing to spend more time abroad will usually start or finish off their trips in a country outside of the zone, although they do need to research if they need a visa to enter, and how long they can stay in those countries.

I'm afraid that your travel agent has a faulty memory unless they are speaking of a specific circumstance which makes you ineligible for the Schengen Waiver Programme.

Contact the Spanish Embassy to see if they issue a one-year visitor visa.
France does and it's not too difficult to obtain, but you have to apply with specific documents and then have an appointment at the Consulate.

Morocco is outside the Schengen Zone, as are the UK, Ireland, a lot of the countries in the Balkans, Turkey and Ukraine.

Thanks all for valuable info will keep a check on what my TA tells me in the future-great forum! We would prefer to stay away for at least 4 months so will look into places to spend the last month. We are both Australian citizens.
Cheers