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Hi Hayley,
I can most certainly understand your eagerness to get your hands on a scope, especially a new scope.
I can only highly recommend you follow Roger's suggestion to attend an astro club's viewing session. There you will see what a good telescope is capable of. This does not mean bigger is better, necessarily, but what a good quality scope is capable of. You will also see what good quality accessories will also deliver, coupled to a good telescope. You will be able to make a much better, and much more informed choice on the telescope you then decide to purchase.
The Illawarra Astro club is highly respected. You can also look at the Star Parties forum for other get togethers in and around Sydney. You can also chase down other astro clubs through the 'Resources' link in the heading column on the left of this page.
My first scope was a 5" Schmidt Cassegrain, but I had spent many, many hours pouring over magazines, books and astro viewings and saved my pennies for over a year, and it wasn't a cheapie. That was nearly 20 years ago. I've still got that scope, and three more since then, including a big 17.5" dobsonian I've rebuilt. But do I still use the 5"? You bet! It was my scope of choice for viewing and photographing last Saturday night's partial lunar eclipse.
Mental.
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