Hi VE,
to the forum.
You've certainly come to the right place.
I've been here about 18 months and the learning curve has been phenomenal.
I don't know where in Vic you are, so here are a list of Vic clubs to choose from...
http://www.quasarastronomy.com.au/society.htm
You don't need a little more understanding before joining a club, they cater to beginners in a wonderful way, and will explain how to get started. I joined
www.asv.org.au (in Melbourne) and they have a New Astronomers Group for rank beginners. Other clubs will have similar groups.
Most clubs have public viewing nights and star parties that are open to the general public. You can look through many different telescopes and ask any kind of question, even if you think it's a silly question (as mine usually were
).
Don't go buying a scope till you do plenty of research (on this forum and google) because there is some rubbish out there, especially department store telescopes.
Trawl through the beginners section of this forum for lots of info to get you started.
Welcome to the fold.
P.S. Keep asking questions, there are lots of people here just waiting to answer them.