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Troy,
See if you can download 'starmap' for either your phone/ipad/ipod from the itunes site. (maybe available as an android app too...not sure). It will show you what's currently in the sky to view at any specific time. An excellent app. Find Tuc 47 (small blob just below and to the right of the small Magellanic cloud. And M42 in the middle star of the sword of orion. (sword is upside down here and some folks call it the 'saucepan' with the sword as the handle).
Sometimes it pays to go out with a list of things to find (and a map to find them). And info - it adds enormously to the enjoyment if you know what it is you're looking at, how far away it is, how big it is, how many stars it contains etc. Alan's post (#4) contains some great viewing. Even viewing Alpha Centauri (brightest star of the pointers that point toward the southern cross) with moderate magnification will reveal our closest neighbor to be more than one star. And while you're in that neighborhood, the Jewel Box cluster is very pretty too.
ps: the 'dipper' is a northern constellation that we don't get to see down south - you may mean the 'saucepan' which is not a saucepan at all....lol, perhaps it should be!
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