Hi Joel,
My recommendation would be to go bigger than an 8" dob, a 10-16 inch. I don't think it's worth spending the extra money for collapsible on a smaller dob like the 8. If the budget is tight go for the solid 10 or 12, unless you really can't transport it easily.
I have a 12" goto dob and have really enjoyed the views. Astro photography was on my mind, specifically planets but I've struggled to get the results I wanted, you can process it to buggery but unless the seeing is good I've found it's not worth it. And to be honest melbourne really struggles with good seeing. Saying that, the results and processing some of the guys get on this forum are nothing short of astounding, I'm so impressed just what people can do when they are truly dedicated. Me, I get out when I can...
I had a crack at deep space with the goto and have gotten some great results on the brighter objects. But I've out grown that now, I can't go any further with the alt az and get any better results, so in hindsight I should have got an eq6 or heq5 with an 8" newt.
So what I'm saying is save your money, either get a larger dob for some awesome views at the eyepiece or get an eq mount package, I wont think it would be long before you would want to upgrade again... You are already mentioning it...
Here is my Flickr page
http://www.flickr.com/photos/80336656@N07/ my results from a goto dob.
All the best !
Rusty