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Lens coatings these days are very tough. It takes a lot to damage them. But, it is never a good idea to be always cleaning them as the cleaning process can ultimately see damage happen. To clean them, isopropyl alcohol is excellent. Not the 'rubbing alcohol' as it is denatured and will leave residue when it dries. Neat isopropyl can be found in hardware stores in little spray bottles where you find the metho. On a slight tangent, I keep a set of eyepieces just for public star viewings for this very purpose. I really don't want mascara, make-up, lolly juice, chip fat, finger prints, and God knows what else on my good eyepieces.
I could jabber on a whole lot more on eyepieces, but all that I'll add is use the eyepieces that come with the scope. While plossls these days are cheap, and they have some short comings, they are still a good optical match with Newtonians. You will learn a lot about how to handle your new instrument, probably more than if you had other eyepieces.
Dark sites around Sydney - now that's a tough one. Trick is to find a place that has minimal affects from dew, safe, and protected from wind. There are a few of us that have been looking around for such places that are not private land for a very long time, all within 2 hours. Not easy. Yes there are clubs that have properties. The Macarthur Astronomical Society is a great mob to join - I'm a member there too. They have two sites, one just outside Campbelltown, and one further out that is darker. The ASNSW has two properties too, one closer at Mt Bowen, and their dark site at Ilford 3.5hrs away. There is also a club Turramarra way. Informal gatherings happen at Mangrove Mountain's Pony Club. We also do informal sessions at Katoomba Airfield. The Airfield is also at 1000m above sea level and we've never had dew! We haven't had a session at either one of the latter two for some time due to the constant crap weather each and every New Moon period for months now. The reason for the two hours drive is it gives really dark conditions that is still relatively close. Other sites we use when the Airfield isn't available is Hargraves Lookout and Mt Blackheath Lookout. Both places are open to the public and you should always go with a mate.
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