welcome Dan! there are a few members from western Sydney around here, i am in the Hills area so not too far away. sounds like a nice set up you have got there, don't be concerned that the pics are not the best, like you said, they are yours. i am sure we would all love to see what you have been able to manage so far. all you will need to start using your DSLR is a T-Ring, not expensive and you can start, but be warned that the quest for the perfect image can be a slippery slope to bankruptcy
what mount do you have ? that will be the key in getting good images