Personally I think an awesome sight in general and a relatively easy find for beginners is the Eta Carinae Nebula. This Nebula encouraged me in my interest at an early stage more than anything in the sky. It's hours of viewing really...just throw in a higher FL EP a wide angle one if you have one, and just scan around the area. For fun I stick in my 32mm Televue ploss and scan the area around the nebula, and then look to see if I can find it on the sky map. You know, rather than doing it the other way around
There are a multitude of open clusters and interesting star fields. Add the area around the Crux and scan right from the crux (west) to Eta Carinae and it's a astronomical smorgasboard.
Oh a question if I may! Can another find with any ease NGC 2070 (I think it's the tarantula Neb) in the Large Magellanic Cloud. I know where it is, but even my skies about 20km SW of Sydney are often too light polluted, and ive had probs making out the MC's through the scope. The irony is that some nights i can see them with the naked eye (esp early morning). When I look at them through my 32mm I can't make out the detail.
I have a 10' Bintel (GSO) Dob BTW. That's probably important!
Cheers folks.