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Hi,
My only concern is that an 8 inch scope is still not that big; and if it is your friends first time looking through a scope he may be dissapointed.
A 10 inch newt on an EQ6 would be more bang for buck but the positions would be very awkward when viewing.
Anyway, if your friend has realistic expectations about what can be seen then no problem, the choice you have made is a very good combination for your budget and allows imaging down the track.
Since basically you are from outback WA you should have access to heaps of dark sky so the 8 inch would be far better than from a city location.
It's a tough call, but how about a few more dollars and get a 9.25 OTA for 1,000 extra.
One final suggestion. If you look around you can get an 8 to 10 inch DOB on ebay for under 400 bucks. Look at this as a cheap investment to show your friend what can be seen with an 8 or 10 inch scope. Then sell it at half price. Even better would be to find someone with an 8 or 10 inch so that he knows exactly what can be done with that aperture of scope.
If he knows what images he is forking out for and still forks out then he wont be dissapointed.
Paul
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