Both good advice from Leon and Glen , but it is not as they say just a matter of what's the best scope ? , there are many factors involved such as , as Leon said , Budget ? how much do you want/have to spend or your interests ? you know , planets ? , nebula ? , Globulars ? , doubles ? etc , etc .
Then there is how are you going to transport the scope and all the gear needed to make the session enjoyable and comfortable , seat , table , computer , warm clothing , food and water etc , etc .
Safety is an issue today so do you have a safe dark sky spot ? ,. or observing buddies ?
Family and work , yes we would all love to be able to just disappear for 3-4 days on a good dark sky weekend , but sadly that is a dream as other things take priority
most of the time . And it's very hard to organise a dark sky weekend that suits everyone if going as a group ( I know this very well ) and this is always the best .
Give us a run down on your interests and expectations and we can tailor our replies to suit ( Pun intended
)
But straight up a good 6 - 8 inch Dob is probably the best starter scope .
, or a 2nd hand ED80 on a mid-weight Alt/Az mount .
Leon mentioned Binoculars ,, great advice as when I drove down from Darwin over 3 weeks a couple of years ago I had ( still have ) my 8x56 Bino's and out in the back of beyond where it's totally dark the views were just AWESOME ! and I only set up the Takahashi I had at the time to show fellow campers the night sky wonders at different dark camping sites , it was lots of fun , but yes give binoculars a lot of consideration .
You don't mention astro photography ? , good on ya for this , don't even think about that for at least a year of astronomy as its , as the say ' The slippery slope to empty pockets
' and no truer words have been spoken .
Looking forward to some more info about your circumstances .
. And as you see amature astronomy is a hobby of a lifetime if you just pace yourself and don't rush in with wallet flapping
.
Brian.