Welcome Ian!
After a dud 4.5" Newt, my first "real" scope was an 8" GS Dob - bought Jan last year. I've been and still am having a ball with this scope since. Recently I started craving more aperture, mainly because galaxies fascinate me, and bought a 12" GS Dob. I love the simplicity of Newtonians (and the dob mount).
An 8 or 10" Dob would be my choice. 10" is probably the best all-rounder. Saxon or Skywatcher brand would be my preference over GS (better ergonomics). The 8" is very capable though with a very high grab-n-go factor. 12" is getting rather bulky and has the focuser too high for sitting too low for standing (unlike the 10 and 8" which are good for observing sitting down on a normal chair). But the views are awesome.
I just got a pair of 20x90 binos like
this one. No chance of using it under the stars yet, but adter a quick look around the neighbourhood both day and night time, they seem excellent. A lot of bino per dollar. Hoping it will serve as a galaxy hunting assistant to the 12".
