Can't help you with dark skies. Best skies I ever saw were half way between Sydney And Ceduna in 2002 when I went down to the Eclipse. Hardly a weekend trip.
On binoculars
Tripod adapters go for $4 on Ebay.
A cheap large tripod goes anything between $30-$50.
Only one of my binocs cost me over $50. They are a compromise. Thread here about them:
http://www.iceinspace.com.au/forum/s...ad.php?t=92465
Of course, do not expect the quality you'd get out of a $300 pair, but all of them are usable. At this price point try them out in store. Quality control isn't going to be the best.