I'm not a pommie, but am residing in one of your former colonies :)
This is a great place to get into guitar playing, no matter what level you are at, there is something for every level. If you have the motivation, the path is all layed out for you.
And don't forget that this may be a community where we never or rarely see each other, it matters not. Share your successes and failures on the forum and you'll have lots of ready ears to share the joys or commiserate with you or suggest solutions to those sticky challenges that do crop up now and again.
See you around the traps :)
The accidental guitarist.