Hi again Redfox,
Try and get a hold of the April 2010 edition of Australian Sky and Telescope Magazine. Go to their website- they post back issues. Inside there is a special edition on buying telescopes, entitled, "What To Know Before You Buy". There is a wealth of information that will help you. This magazine also tells us what to expect in the skies in the month ahead, incl. a star map plus a wealth of other interesting and useful information.
I agree with Davin, a 6 or 8 inch dob is always a popular choice for beginners. Like Davin, I have one myself. If you have a look thru this forum you will see a poll on best beginner's scopes, and the dob ranks the highest. Simply because it is very easy to set up and transport. Beginners shouldn't get bogged down with having to set up time consuming mounts and confusing gagetry. A beginner needs to have satisfaction straight away. A dob will do this for you. You can always upgrade later when you're more knowledgeable and that way when you do spend the big dollars, it will come from experience for something that you really want.
