Hi Adrian,
This is a fantastic Australian site for getting info on all aspects of woodwork.
Like IIS it is a great place to learn and ask questions.
I've cut and pasted the specific woodturning forum, but there's every other kind of woodwork and carpentry too.
http://www.woodworkforums.com/f8/
Oh, and one place to look at lathes is
http://www.carbatec.com.au/woodturning-tools_c300 My fave shop besides Bintel.
They have a Brisbane store.
Hope this helps.