hey mate,

I live in Manly so down the road from you

I am currently a member of NSAS - http://www.nsas.org.au/
they are pretty local and have general meetings and observations.

They also have a small group that gathers called the New Astronomers Group (NAG) where the elder members help newbies.

They meet once a month for a general meeting at St Ignatius' College near Riverview.

you should come along for Novembers meeting 17th/11 and check it out.

Cheers,
Ash