[Viekie (Matt)]

Greetings all. Brand new to the site. Started a new thread (in case I accidently derailed Rebecca's thread if I posted there).
I bought a Startracker 50 telescope from DSE last month and was more than a little bit disappointed with it. Couldnt see much more than the moon with it (was hoping for Mars or Jupiter at least) and was starting to wonder if I was doing anything wrong. Went for a looksie on Google and found this site. Had a peruse thru each of the different threads and apparently yes the Startracker cant see much more than the moon.
Last night the dog accidently knocked the scope over while I was inside getting a coffee and now it wont focus properly. I mean i can still see the moon but not in as much detail than before, so now I'm looking for a another (and hopefully better) telescope.
It seems everyone is recommending the Dobsonian 6" as an excellent 1st (in my case 2nd) telescope for those on a limited budget. Was wondering what Ill be able to see with it. (The Startracker says that I SHOULD be able to see out to Saturn, but couldnt even see Mars in greater detail than a red dot in the sky). Any chance of seeing Nebulas or the Andromeda Galaxy with it (im currently living in Brisbane so not if its only seen in the Northern Hemisphere?)