Thanks for all the great replies.

Stick an add in the local neigbourhood paper 'wanted to buy' and put up notices on the board at BigW etc - I have had great success that way - I bought a Bally Space Invaders Pinball for $500 that way.

Thanks for the tip! Might do that and see if I get anything locally.

Budget is usually an issue - there are a lot of less sought after games (Data East and Sega in particular), some of which are good players.

I am definitely thinking of a late 80s/early 90s machine. Can you name which DE/Sega games I might like to look into?

You have a whole new addiction to feed, and before you do anything - Don't impulse buy your first game. ASK lots of questions here.

Will do! I certainly don't want to rush into it. Can't wait to peek at the trading section. Thanks for the offer but unfortunately I'm not local to Melbourne :(

If you want an accurate idea of a machines popularity (and subsequent demand) have a look at the top 100/300 lists produced by ipdb and pinside. They provide an accurate gauge of a machine's ranking along with feedback from a broad cross section of the pinball playing community.

Thanks for those links. I will definitely check them out! Being able to find which ones are good starter machines will be handy.

what state of aus are you in.locals are willing to help you out in any way.

Currently in the ACT, though may be moving to Sydney soon. Not quite sure who the ACT members are but when I figure that out I may ask to take a peek at their collections :)

I'm thinking a nice Williams system 11 pin would be something to consider also, my opinion only here 
Bally/WMS DMD B/C titles are also worth a look & well priced, Play as many pins as you can.

Yes, I think a Sys 11 is exactly the type of style I am after. I will keep an eye out.