Kev,
You have more opportunities to observe the Sun from Oz than we have over here in Europe. You're also 12 hours ahead, so you can image areas of the surface well before we see them!!
A PST or small Lunt Ha scope is a good way to start your solar "training".
It's amazing what can be done with such a small instrument, you just have to look at Jan Timmermans page to see the results he gets with a PST.
http://www.thefirmament.nl/astro/main_screen.html
I recommend it to any amateur!!!