I recommend reading the following 2 articles;
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-260-0-0-1-0.html
and
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/63-261-0-0-1-0.html
I would suggest reading them in order, fully to get an idea of what you are getting yourself into. I would also pay particularly close attention to what was written about the equatorially mounted newtonian reflector in the second article, because that's what you've proposed to buy. I personally wouldn't recommend that kind of set up for a beginner. Read the article to find out why.
Like those who've written before me, I'd strongly recommend you attend an astro society's viewing night. There should be a range of different scopes there, and generally speaking, people are happy to show you their equipment and show you what can be seen. You also learn more by actually using the various types of equipment than reading about them. Get to one of those viewing nights early so you can see what's involved in unpacking and assembling the different types of scopes. That can be a real eye opener...
Then do what every budding astronomer looking for their first scope should do;
buy a dobsonian telescope in the 6 to 10 inch range.
the size you pick will be determined by you. Which size you go for will depend on your own patience with bulky equipment. If you are a petite person who despises heavy lifting (like me), then the smaller the better. If you're a beefcake who eats bricks for breakfast, perhaps the 10 is more your thing. If you fall somewhere in between, go the 8 (most people, even asthmatic little weenies like me can handle an 8, I'm just too lazy to do so).
Anyway, to quote the first article I linked:
The best scope is the one that shows you the most stuff.
The scope that shows you the most stuff is the scope you use most often.
The scope you use most often is the one that's easy to carry, easy to set up, easy to point, and easy to look through. (And remember, you’ll be doing all these things in the dark!)
Good luck.
