Hi Dodge and welcome to IIS.
First off, don`t go to Dick Smith or a department store to by one of those scopes unless its for the kiddies to play with. With just over $300 you should be able to get a nice 6" dobsonian which should give you some nice views....
Down the bottom of this page is a 153 x 1200 dob that should be close to your budget
http://www.btow.com.au/telescopes-tasco.shtml
or if you want a little refractor
http://www.btow.com.au/telescopes-skywatcher.shtml
But you won`t see as much as with the 6" dob.
cheers Gary