welcome to the forum rd,
we have some Oz boys & Kiwis who play fairly regularly. dont worry about being bad. we were all there and some of us never left there..
. you will find though most of the players are in realistic games and a lesser amount in sim. i suggest if you arent online to practice in real mode and if you are on dont be afraid to jump in one.
those flight sticks were evaluated here so do a search and you will find all the info you want to make a decent decision.
hope to see you in the skies sometime...
GT Bobbysockser