New to Australia -- Accents, Getting Started, Advice :)

Hi guys, I am new to Australia and not really sure where to turn, so any advice would be great! I'm living and working in Melbourne and would like to start getting involved in casual acting -- community theatre, amateur film, whatever really -- with a view toward developing skills to maybe eventually start auditioning for commercials/looking for an agent/etc. In other words, I'm a realist and I'm not quitting my day job any time soon :) But I've always loved acting (and have always been told I'm talented, for what it's worth, lol) -- and I'm looking at getting involved in theatre or film here in Melbourne, to see where it might lead. Specifically, I guess I'd like to know: 1) Would my North American accent be a big problem in getting roles here in Australia? i.e., would I have to start taking accent lessons or something to try and develop an Aussie accent? (Maybe this is a ridiculous question but I was concerned about it anyway!) 2) Would taking part-time or short classes be the best way to get started? If so, are there any that are more reputable than others in the Melbourne area? I looked at the full-year NIDA weekend course (The Actor, 18+) for Melbourne, and think I might like to audition for that, but it's a lot of money and I'm not sure if it's really worthwhile? 3) Is there a list of community theatres/university productions/etc. that hold open auditions in Melbourne? All of the ones I found on Google are quite outdated. 4) As far as film goes, are there any reputable websites that post openings for actors in student films/shorts/things of that nature? I have taken a look at the FAQs on this site but am not sure they are really Melbourne-specific, so any advice would be greatly appreciated! Thanks guys!