G'day Mate,
I'm near Taree, couple of hours north of Newcastle, I'm also an instructor.
IMHO, either the Skyraider Mk1 or the Boomerang 40, are the pick of the trainers, around here in Aus.
And you can't do better than either an OS 46AX, or a Thunder Tiger 46 Pro, both the same price.
I also highly recommend, the Spektrum DX7 radio, I have one, & they are great, no worries about being shot down or shooting anyone else down, great technology.

If ya can get away next weekend, there is a Fly in at Metford, the COMSOA near Newcastle.
Directions
COMSOA (City of Maitland Society of Aeromodellers)
Raymond terrace Rd, Metford. NSW.
take the freeway to the end,
then hit the new england highway
that will take you straight to metford.
I think the field is on raymond terrace road which is on the other side of the town.


Also have a look here, http://www.gosfordcityaeromodellers.org/