Hi Jim, and welcome to Mayhem. There are a couple of model boat clubs near to you, depending on which part of the coast you live. Logan City Marine Modellers sail at Tygum Lagoon, and their web site is
http://lcmarinemodellers.com/Further afield there is Springfield Lakes Model Boat Club, who predictably enough sail at Springfield Lakes, Triple S who sail at Boondall near the Brisbane Entertainment Centre, and my club, the Ballina RSL Club Marine Modellers, who sail at Kingsford Smith Lake, Ballina. If you are ever down our way you would be more than welcome. We sail on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of each month from 9am.
Model shops are few and far between, and many modellers rely on the internet. Hobbyrama in Brisbane is an excellent shop and well worth a visit at 455 Stafford Road, Stafford, but Float a Boat in Melbourne is a popular shop for mail orders web site
http://www.floataboat.com.au/history.htm. There are numerous shops in England who do international mail order, and most are very obliging. There are other model shops around, but many of them don't stock much that is boat related.If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask - there is sure to be someone on the forum who can help. Also don't forget to post pictures of your models, we love pictures
Peter.