Hey Chief,
I'm in the East also. The Ballarat and Region Craftbrewers internet link should be in my signature. We tend to catch up a lot as individuals and mates but we try to have an official catch up ever 6 weeks or so.
Most of us brew AG but we all started with the usual suspects and have heaps of experience. If you want to catch up with any local brewers then keep posting in this part of AHB and someone will get in touch with you. Feel free to PM with any questions etc. We try to share a lot of yeast, hops and grains etc to keep the prices down.
Anyway, take care mate, maybe see you around some day.