Hi ZeldaB,
to IIS.
Adding to brax1963, a dobsonian mount is also very easy for a novice to use- no tricky bits and pieces.
You can see the mob at York Optical, a link to thier site is here on the right margin->
Look at the sites of Andrews Communications & Bintel too. Compare the prices, even with the added freight, you may get a good deal if you care to negotiate:
http://andrewscom.com.au/site-section-10.htm
http://bintel.com.au/
As a beginners scope, the 8" dob is a wonderful instrument. Could well fulfill all your visual needs for life. I've had a little use of one of these scopes and they give wonderful views of the planets and deep sky objects.
By way of brands, SkyWatcher OWNS Celestron & Tasco, and maybe a couple of other brands too. All is not what it seems as alot of the scopes sold out there, including in house generic brands, are actually the exact same instrument made in the exact same factory! Unfortunatelly it really is a case of "buyer beware".
However, GSO & SkyWatcher are separate entities,
. I would tend to go with GSO, but there may only be price between the two to sway your choice.
My last recommendation is to stick with visual for now. Astrophotography can be a real money pit,
. Learn the basics first and the learning curve to photography won't be so nasty.