Hi Roger,
I have read many good reports about the Celestron SE series, like all the previous owners and you will find many more on the Cloudy Nights Forum where the overseas market is larger.
Three main points:
Despite what many will tell and show you, they are not really suited for imaging, although some people can get some results from. This scope is predominantly for visual use and by all reports they track extremely well.
Also, when there is no power to the scope, you cannot move the telescope manually (i.e no clutch), so power is a must.
They are extremely portable and light - the advantage is that the OTA removes from the single fork for transporting. This also give you the advantage of mounting OTA onto an EQ mount such as a Skywatcher EQ-series for imaging. This effectively gives you more flexability: a visual, portable "grab and go" telescope in its original setup (OTS, fork and mount), or an imaging scope by easily mounting the OTA on an EQ mount. Many people I have read about have this arrangement.
There is a vast amount of information out there beyond these shores, as Australia is a very limited market for them, but you will find enough support from users in Australia to assist you.
Also look at these links:
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthrea.../Board/nexstar
http://www.cloudynights.com/ubbthrea.../o/o/fpart/all
I am still so close to a decision between a 8SE and a Meade LX90 8".
good luck.
I hope all this helps.