Hi Noel, Welcome
As has been mentioned, please stay well clear of any Dick Smith, or any "Department Store" which sells telescopes. They only sell the absolute lowest of rubbish telescopes.
I would not recommend you try to purchase through an on-line telescope store because if you have any issues , and need to return it, you are up for shipping costs. Having said that, Dobsonian telescopes are pretty trouble free and most issues can be resolved over the phone, or on this forum!
I know you're in Adelaide, but try to stick to a dedicated telescope store such as BinTel (
www.bintel.com.au) or Andrews (
http://www.andrewscom.com.au/) These two stores have shopfronts and very helpful staff who know their hobby.
Regarding what type of telescope, I agree with renormalised. Try to aim for a 6" Dobsonian ($349 at Andrews)
Don't buy any telescope which has an "equatorial" mount. Stick to a Dobsonian or "alt-alzimuth" mount. They're easier to use for beginners.
Regards
Stephen