like geoff said, the 8x50 is better for light polluted areas. I have a 8x50 and can see more stars than with naked eye/telrad and so star-hopping is made easier. I dont think the syies in ashfield are particularly rich in stars
. if you can get a right angle 8x50 finder you will save alot of strain on your neck too so ask about that when you go to get your scope.
if a crayford focuser is out of the question for whatever reason (by all means get one if you can tho) you can motorise a R&P at a low cost.