G day Kevin n Alison,
to IIS.
Lotsa good people advice n info here, so dive in n look around especially the sticky threads above.
i gather your Black Mtn is near Coroy, as is Astro Ron (might even have been the fella at the festival?) and there is an active Sunny Coast group - see 'star parties, clubs and community events' forum. a great way to get some mentoring and importantly try before buy. Also check out Astro Pete's shop in Brisbane.
http://www.astropetes.com.au/
for me there isn't much better than; some astro knowledge + dark clear sky + a biggish dob + no work in the morning
most of my stuff is second hand through the classifieds here - i do the research then wait for it to come up. (there is a dob for sale @ Atherton Tablelands - road trip holiday to pick it up? tho good luck getting clear skies there
I luv dobs 'cos; i don't wanna take my own photos (i enjoy other's), best aperture bang for $$, low tech n simple to use and own, big yes - but portable for me.
regards and again welcome, Lindon