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Welcome Lost in Space! Great to have another Tasmanian join the Forum!
As you can see already from the response, our forum is fabulous in how it links people up to observe together. That is the biggest benefit I have gained from being on the forum. I strongly recommend that you follow through in the invitations and get out there observing and making friends ASAP.
To put in my two-bob's worth, I'd suggest you go on a few observing sessions with the others on this thread before you decide which scope is for you. There are so many different considerations when chosing a scope. It is simply not possible to work out by reading stuff on the 'net what will work best. In particular, the logistics of getting the scope out to a dark site with the actual physical size of the scope, the set-up procedure, what EPs will work best etc, are all best assessed by meeting with others and playing with their scopes and equipment first.
I did not follow the above advice about trying before buying. I bought my scope just around the same time as I joined this forum. I have been very lucky. I love my scope. But, I must admit that if I had my time again (this is strictly "off the record") I might get a Dob, rather than the SCT, because of a dob's superior performance inch for inch when viewing DSO's, and because with a Dob, you have more change left over for what will become the most expensive aspect of the hobby in time....eyepieces.
As for your interest in astrophotography, as you will see from the threads where people have posted their images, you can do just about anything with just about anything, given the know-how and necessary add-ons. I'd focus more on feeding your immediate interest in observing, and tackle the imaging issue down the track!
Good luck, and welcome aboard.
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