As a Perth dweller I have also faced the dilema of where to buy from. I tend to purchase about 99% of stuff either from the east or overseas. That said I did buy a HEQ5 Pro from the local guy (BTOW) at a price that could not be matched by the eastern states boys if you included freight costs which can be pretty steep at times. The choice is yours but its a pretty limited choice in Perth with only BTOW and Midland camera house selling gear (exactly the same stuff I might add).
I have only had one problem in about 5 years when one of the plastic components on my ETX broke. I contacted the supplier in the east and they sent me the part which I installed myself. Not for the faint hearted I guess as there are lots of things (very small things) that can break easily but I learnt a little and did not have to wait too long. Thats one of the great things about being so isolated, you certainly get to know the workings of your scopes and there are lots of people to help out when you get stuck
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Good luck